Matters of The Heart
by mykkila09
Summary: A former ranger returns home, determined to see two old loves reunite, and in the process, change everything. DO NOT COPY TO ANOTHER SITE
1. Old Friend, New Complications

**Setting:** during ZEO and then through TURBO **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two loves back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 1:** The Return of an Old Friend Brings Complications  
 **Chapter Word Count:** 10,912

 **A/N:** HI! I'm back! First, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope it's all awesome. Second; I am like so excited for this story because I had fun working on it. I'm also glad to be back, delving into the PR world and back to my first love, my first OTP before I even _knew_ what OTP meant (yes, that means that there are more PR stories that focuses on Tommy/Kim in the works, including a Charmed crossover, the next part of the _Love Affair_ series, and that little AU of _A Shocking Betrayal_ ). So, without further ado; here is the new PR story. It's a mixture of canon and AU and I hope you guys like it.

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _"Intercom/Phone"_  
 _'Thinking'_

* * *

She sighed as she shifted in her seat. She looked out the window, her eyes taking in the clouds that passed by; she was on a plane heading back to Angel Grove.

She was going home.

She hasn't been in Angel Grove for almost two years and she missed it a lot. But more than that, she missed her friends. When she had left, she had been filled with a bittersweet feeling; she had been sad that she was leaving, but she had also been happy and grateful for the opportunity that she had been given.

But now, it was time to go home. She was needed there, more than she was needed abroad. Her friends needed her, two in particular, and she intended to help them.

" _This is your captain speaking,"_ the voice sounded through the plane. _"Please fasten your seatbelts as we will begin our descent at Angel Grove Municipal Airport. Thank you."_

Taking a deep, calming breath, she relaxed back into her seat. She was almost there.

Ten minutes later, the plane touched down and twenty minutes after, she was leaving the plane along with the rest of the passengers.

After going through customs and clearing her luggage, she made her way outside the airport and hailed a taxi, giving the driver the address. About twenty minutes later, the taxi pulled into a driveway. She paid the driver and got her suitcases from the trunk before turning to the house. Just as she started up the driveway, the front door opened and a huge smile lit up her face when she saw her parents hurrying towards her.

"Mom, dad," She grinned as threw her arms around both of them.

"Oh sweetie," her mother sniffled, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too mom," she buried her face in her mother's hair, allowing the familiar scent of hibiscus—her mom's shampoo—to wash over her.

"Welcome home honey," her dad said as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"It's good to be home dad," she smiled as she pulled back from the hug.

"Come on," her mom smiled as she grabbed her daughter's hand. "Let's get inside."

"Ok," she smiled and turned to grab her suitcases, but her dad, did it for her.

"I'll get them," he smiled. "You just relax now."

"That sounds like a beyond wonderful idea," she laughed as they started heading back to the house.

She would spend the day with her parents and then tomorrow, she would surprise her friends.

~…~

Seven teens were sitting around the park. To anyone, they looked like normal teenagers, but the truth is, they weren't. Six of the seven teens were actually superheroes, known to the citizens of Angel Grove as the Power Rangers; heroes who defended the town and the planet from evil beings that were hell bent on taking over and destroying the world. The seventh teen, was the technical and computer expert of the rangers, and a former ranger as well.

The leader of the rangers, Tommy Oliver, leaned against a tree as he looked out at his friends. The last few months had been an upheaval for him. Back in the beginning of May, he went through one of the worst things he had ever experienced; his girlfriend of two and half years had broken up with him. It had been so out of blue and had shocked him to the core. He had been blindsided as he had thought that everything was ok—better than ok—between them. Apparently he had been wrong.

It had blindsided his friends as well; the blue ranger, Rocky DeSantos had been upset and confused over it, just as much as he had been. He wasn't surprised as he knew Rocky had gotten close to Kim during their time as rangers together and that they were closer than Kim was with Billy, despite the fact that their tech advisor had been her friend since childhood.

When he had gotten the letter, his world felt as if it had collapsed around him and he had felt lost; he still did sometimes. He couldn't believe it. Everything in him had been screaming at him to go after her, but he hadn't. He had been attracted to Kim the moment he saw her and when they met, the attraction had grown until he had fallen completely for her. He would do anything to make her happy. So, despite Rocky's protests, and his own heart's urgings, he had let her go. He hadn't fought for her and there wasn't a day that had gone by that he hadn't regretted that decision.

His gaze travelled his friends until it rested on the Kat. The blonde had been a godsend to him when the letter came and even after. She had been a comforting presence, a steady hand to help him deal with the heartbreak of losing Kim, of losing some of his self-confidence because he honestly, at the time, couldn't understand just what he had done to make Kim end things. He had thought that things between them were fine, but he had been wrong. Kat was a good friend. She didn't push, at least, not too much; she gave him space when he needed it, but didn't let him dive too far down into his thoughts. And though she wasn't Kim, or even Jason, whom he could open up to so easily, she was still good enough. Some of it might've had to do with their shared past of being puppets to Rita and hurting their friends, but still. She had been, and still was, a good friend and he was thankful for her.

His gaze moved from Kat and rested on Jason, the one person he was closest to, other than Kim. Just a few weeks ago, Jason had re-joined the team as the Gold Ranger and he had been more than happy. As much as he loved fighting alongside his teammates, having Jason back on the team was different. Not only had it made him nostalgic and reminded him of the old days back when he was in green and then white, but he and Jason were so close, practically brothers, and in tune with each other's fighting styles. It was like having a piece of himself back again; a presence he hadn't even realized he was missing.

Jason had been the other person he could talk to and he had missed him, as a friend, as a teammate and as a sparring partner. He watched as Jason talked and laugh with the others, but knew that despite the happy exterior, the gold ranger wasn't pleased that he was dating Kat and had as much told him so. He had also been angry that he, Tommy, hadn't gone after Kim after he had told him about the break-up, but after some time, his anger had lessened and he had come to accept, albeit a bit reluctantly, that he and Kat were now together.

Tommy closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree; he missed Kim more than anyone knew. A day didn't go by when he didn't think of her. He wondered how she was doing and if she even missed him as much as he missed her. To this day, his heart was still screaming at him to go after her, but he ignored it. He thought he was doing what was best for her and that was to let her be happy and be with someone else, no matter how much it pained him. She had moved on, and so had he, and he needed to accept it.

"Yo Tommy!" Rocky's shout drew his attention and he opened his eyes to look over at his friend. "We're gonna head over to Ernie's, you coming?"

"Sure," Tommy answered and stood up, brushing off his jeans as he did so. He jogged over to his friends and they all turned to the direction of the youth centre.

Kat, who was walking next to Tanya, left her side and moved to stand next to Tommy. "You ok?"

Tommy turned his head slightly to look at her. He felt guilt course through him as he saw the love in her eyes that she held for him. He was grateful for the blonde, he really was, but these days, more often than not, the previous pink ranger still occupied his thoughts. Shaking his head, he answered. "Yeah, I'm fine...just thinking."

"Ok," Kat smiled at him. "You know you can talk to me?"

"I know," Tommy nodded. _'The thing of it is though, I can't talk to you, not about this. It'd hurt you too much and that's the last thing I want.'_

"Good," Kat accepted that, satisfaction running through her.

Nothing else was said between the two and Tommy was thankful. Soon enough, the youth centre came into view and the friends quickened their pace slightly. They got inside, waving to Ernie who was behind the counter, before they headed to their usual spot.

"It's nice to be able to relax without having to rush out to fight," Tanya commented with a grin. "I think this is the first day we've had that we hadn't had a fight."

"I know, right?" Kat laughed.

"Would you guys shut up?" Rocky groaned and rested his head on the table. "Stop saying that, you're gonna jinx us."

The two girls laughed as did the boys. They soon drifted off into their own topics; Tanya and Kat were talking about shopping and a movie they had seen a few days ago, Billy was reading a magazine—one that he had had with him at the park—Rocky and Adam were talking about soccer and Tommy and Jason were talking about upcoming tournaments.

About ten minutes later, a voice, a very familiar one, drifted over to them.

"Hey Ernie!"

As one, all the boys stopped their conversations and turned to the source and their eyes widened in shock and disbelief when they saw who it was.

"Oh my God!" Adam breathed out softly, "Is that—

"Trini?" Jason had stood up and was staring at the dark haired girl.

Trini turned when she heard her name and her dark eyes lit up in happiness. "Jason!" the Vietnamese hurried over to the table and threw her arms around her best friend's neck.

"Tri," Jason wrapped his arms around her waist and his grip tightened slightly as he hugged her back. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet me?" Trini laughed as she pulled back from the hug.

"Sorry," Jason grinned, but he wasn't sorry and it was clear to see. His entire being seemed to thrum with happiness at having the Vietnamese girl in his arms.

"Forgiven," Trini smiled and she stepped away from him towards the others. "Hey guys."

"Trini!" Adam, Rocky and Billy rushed her, all three wrapping their arms around her in a tight hug.

Trini laughed as she returned their hugs. She had had no idea how much she had missed them until she felt their arms around her. "Guys! I need to breathe!"

The boys pulled back, though it was obvious they were reluctant to do so.

Trini grinned at them and then turned to the final boy. She shook her head when she saw the way he hesitated before coming over.

"I thought I'd have to resort to kicking your ass to get a hug out of you," she teased when Tommy was close.

Laughing, Tommy pulled her into a hug, "I swear, Trini, you scare me sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Trini chuckled as the hug ended. "So, what's up?" she turned to the two girls she didn't know, "And who are you?"

Kat and Tanya looked at each other, both of them a little nervous about meeting Trini, but both for different reasons; for Tanya, it was because she was meeting the original yellow ranger, for Kat, it was because she knew that Trini was Kimberly's best friend next to Aisha and she worried how the original ranger was going to react to her not only being the new pink ranger, but to being Tommy's girlfriend as well.

"Trini," Billy did the introductions, "these are Tanya Sloan and Katherine Hillard. Tanya was chosen by Aisha to be the ZEO yellow ranger when Aisha chose to stay in Africa and Kat was chosen by Kim to be the pink ranger when she left for Florida."

Trini shook Tanya's hand with a smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Tanya responded, still in awe. "I hope I make you proud to carry on the yellow name."

Trini laughed. "I have no doubt you will. I trust Aisha and I know she wouldn't have chosen you if she hadn't thought you could do this."

Tanya was thankful she had a dark colouring as she was sure her face would be seriously red right now if she was any lighter.

Trini turned to Kat and the blonde found herself holding her breath. She may not have met the Vietnamese girl, but she had heard enough from the others to know that she had been very close to Kim; practically sisters. And she was a little wary about Trini's reception to her knowing where her loyalties lied.

She wasn't the only one.

The boys were as well. They knew that Trini was fiercely protective of Kim and would always be on her side, no matter whom it was she was going against; whether it be a boyfriend or one of them.

Trini stared at the blonde in front of her. She could admit to herself that Katherine was beautiful; she had long, blond hair, blue eyes, a gorgeous accent and a body to back it all up. She was pretty much the all American dream girl, despite being Australian.

She knew from both Kim and Aisha how the girl had come to be on the team and while she sympathized—nobody deserved to be under Rita or Zedd's control—there was still a part of her that disliked the girl.

Why?

Because a part of her couldn't help but to feel that Katherine took advantage of a situation when she should've known better; and she wasn't the only one. She was going to have words with the others as well. She was home now, and she was determined to fix things.

Shaking her head, Trini held out her hand to the blonde, "I've heard about you. It's nice to finally put the face to the stories."

"All good things I hope," Kat joked as she shook the other girl's hand, feeling relief at the kind and gentle words. She wouldn't be ashamed to admit that she had been seized with a bit of apprehension when she realized just who the other girl was. Not only was she one of the original rangers, but she was also Kimberly's best friend.

"Some of it was," Trini replied before she turned back to the boys. "So, what are you guys doing?"

The apprehension became unease at the dark haired girl's response and Kat swallowed heavily. She glanced over at Tanya to see what her best friend thought and felt bolstered by the frown on the current yellow ranger's face.

"Just hanging out," Rocky answered. "You know how it is." He couldn't help the joy that danced through him. He was so excited that Trini was back because he knew that if anyone could fix things, it'd be her.

And what did he mean by fix things? He meant the situation with Tommy and Kat and Kim. As far as he was concerned, Kat and Tommy shouldn't be dating and he couldn't understand how or why the two of them had gotten together in the first place.

It's not that he didn't like Kat, he did, she was a really good friend and a good ranger, but, well, Kim was his best friend other than Adam and Aisha, but more importantly, she was his spirit sister. It didn't matter that they were no longer Ninjetti, the bond they had created when they had travelled to Phaedos was a bond that wouldn't die.

And, he fully believed that Tommy and Kim belonged together. He had been angry at the letter, just like the others, but after thinking about it, he had understood; Kim was thousands of miles away from her friends and family, standing on her own in a very competitive world where distractions can be devastating. And even though she loved Tommy, she couldn't help the fact that she liked someone else, especially one who was right there and who could offer help immediately; someone who was from the world of gymnastics and could be a shoulder that they—that Tommy—couldn't be.

And he was also angry at Tommy. As much as Tommy claimed to love Kim, as far as he was concerned, their leader had given up too easily. He never called Kim to talk about the letter; he had just let it go and then, a few weeks later, he was dating Kat.

But now, Trini was home and if there was anyone who could fix the mess the rangers were in, it was her. And he really couldn't wait.

~…~

Trini sighed as she headed towards the youth centre. It's been two days since she's been home, and she hadn't had a chance to go to the Command—no, the Power Chamber to see Zordon and Alpha as yet.

Not only had the rangers been busy with the Machine Empire, but she had been busy as well. It was her first time home since she had left a few years and she had wanted to catch up with her parents.

But that wasn't the only thing that had kept her busy. She had also spent the few days thinking over the situation that her friends were in; namely, the Tommy/Kim/Kat situation. It's not that she didn't like the blonde, nor did she _not_ want to like her, but she still felt Kat took advantage of the situation.

She knew beforehand how Kat had felt about Tommy. All those calls from both Kim and Aisha before Kim had left for Florida had clued her in on the blonde. She knew that Kat came to them under Rita and that the blonde had feelings for their leader because no matter what, Kat had never wanted to go anywhere unless Tommy was going. Add in to the fact that even under the spell, the blonde had seemed to have it in for Kimberly.

Usually when a ranger was evil, they attacked the whole team. Tommy had done that when he had been Rita's green ranger. Sure he had gone after Jason, but he had attacked the rest of them and had even gone after Zordon, Alpha and the then named Command Centre.

Kat though, she had kept her attack to Kim and Kim alone.

But then, she had pulled through when it had really counted. When Kim had gotten hurt, Kat had broken the spell long enough to get help and for that Trini would always be grateful because Kim was her best friend, her baby sister, and Katherine had saved her life. Even now, the thought of Kim not being there, of going through the rest of her life without the other girl to call on, it still sent a pang of hurt through her heart.

She didn't hate Katherine and she didn't want to hate her. And she didn't think the girl was a bad person either. From what she's seen, and heard to be honest, the blonde was a good friend and a great addition to their little ranger family. But, deep down, her loyalties were with Kim.

Everyone knew it was practically girl code that you do not go after a friend's ex, especially in a situation like Tommy and Kim. And especially considering that Kim was the one who brought Kat into the group and who gave her the chance to be a ranger. For Kat to go after Tommy was like a slap in the face to everything Kim had done for her.

And Tommy; he claimed to love Kim and he had let her go so easily. She had spoken to Kim, and even though it had taken a little longer than she expected, her friend had broken down and told her everything. So, she knew the reason behind the letter. And while she didn't agree with Kim writing it, she understood why she had done it. Just like she understood how hurt Kim was that Tommy hadn't even called her.

Tommy, the guy who had fought everyone and everything to be there for Kim had just let her go. He didn't fight the letter, he never called to question it; he just believed it and gave up.

Everyone knew how much the two of them had loved each other, so she had found it hard to believe that Tommy was over Kim so quickly, and with the girl Kim had chosen as her ranger replacement of all people.

Tommy and Kim belonged together. She knew it, Kim knew it, hell even Zedd and Rita had known it. And it was time Tommy, and Kat, realized it too.

That's why she was heading to the centre today. She was going to fix things. First she was going to see Zordon and Alpha, then, she would work on Tommy…and Kat.

~…~

"When is Trini coming?" Rocky asked as he looked around.

Tanya laughed at her friend, "Geez Rocky, could you be any more excited?"

"I know," Kat chuckled, "you'd think you're dating her."

At the words, Jason tensed, but it was noticed by no one, and honestly, even he himself wasn't sure _why_ he had tensed.

"Who's Trini?" Emily, Jason's girlfriend, asked as she pulled up a chair next to him. "Hey babe."

"Hey Em," Jason smile at his girlfriend, "What's up? I thought you'd be working on your bike?"

"I was," Emily nodded as she stole some of his fries, "But I had to take a break."

"Well I'm glad," Jason smiled as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Emily smiled back at him before repeating her question. "So who's Trini?"

"That would be me," Trini answered as she walked up to the group.

Emily turned to see who had spoken and was taken aback. The girl was beautiful; long, dark hair, a nice body and brown eyes that were compassionate yet with a hint of steel.

Emily couldn't help but feel a little threatened. Especially when she saw how Jason perked up.

"It's about time you got here," Jason teased, unable to help the fluttery, excited feeling that seeing her brought.

Trini rolled her eyes while reaching out to smack him on the back of his head.

"Ow!" Jason cried out as he rubbed the spot. "I swear to god you and Ptera hit harder than anyone. Abusers."

Pulling up a chair, Trini raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I might have to mention that in my phone call tonight."

Jason blanched. "I'd rather you didn't."

The last thing he wanted was Kim mad at him. The girl might have been the most cheerful and sweetest person he'd ever known, but she had a temper on her.

Rocky grinned. "Jase, don't tell me you're afraid of Kim?"

"With good reason," Jason grinned. "But it is fun to rile her up sometimes."

Trini laughed and then turned to the girl sitting next to Jason. "Since this one's head is hard, I'm Trini Kwan."

"Emily," the blonde replied. "How do you know Jason and these guys?"

"Well," Trini smiled, "Jason, Billy and I have known each other since we were practically babies; I met Tommy during freshman year and Rocky and Adam during sophomore year."

"Wow," Emily was a little stunned and even more threatened. She was also a bit worried. Everyone knew that you always tried to get along with the friends of the person you were dating. And this girl had a connection to not only her boyfriend, but his friends as well. One bigger than even the one she had, and longer too. And not only that, but this was Jason's second longest friend she was meeting, other than Billy, and she was a girl. "And who's terror and Kim?"

"They're the same person," Rocky answered with a grin, "And that's just Jason's nickname for Kimberly."

"Who I've known since I was a baby as well," Jason added.

"Well, if you heard our parents tell it," Trini grinned, "we knew each other before we were even born."

"How so?" Kat asked, intrigued by the idea of learning a bit more about the former rangers.

"Our parents, mothers specifically," Jason answered, "Were friends. They were all in the same birthing classes and became friends, and remained friends as each of us—meaning me, Trini, Billy, Zack and Kim—were born and after that, us kids just became friends ourselves."

"So why do you call Kim terror?" Emily inquired, looking between the group. "She's not a bad person, is she?"

"Kim?" Rocky shook his head with a laugh, "no way. She is the nicest person you'd ever meet. She's super friendly and charming and just a lot of fun."

"She's my baby sister," Jason grinned. "And it's Ptera, as in pterodactyl, and not "terror". I called her that because she reminds me of a bird. Always moving, always seeming to be flying all over the place but fierce and protective."

"Funny how you say she's your baby sister considering she's older than you," Tommy grinned. Seeing the look on Emily, as well as Kat and Tanya's faces, he explained, "Kim was born in February. The others were born after."

"Are you serious?" Kat gaped a bit, a little surprised by what she just heard.

"She's right," Jason chuckled in agreement, "but you've seen her! She's so tiny that you just can't help but see her as the "baby"; as the one to protect and take care of."

"Very true," Billy nodded with his own smile, "Although Kimberly herself would take offense to having her stature used against her."

"It's cool," Trini laughed, "She doesn't mind as much anymore."

Rocky smirked mischievously, "Or I can just tell her Jason said it."

At his words, the others, minus Emily, turned to look at him.

"What?" Rocky asked, wondering why they were staring at him.

"You still talk to Kimberly?" Kat frowned slightly.

Rocky raised an eyebrow in the Australian blonde's direction, "Yeah…why wouldn't I? I was friends with _both_ Kim and Tommy before I found out they were together. I didn't become her friend just because she was dating Tommy or even after the fact. Just because they broke up, doesn't mean I have to stop being friends with her. So yes, I still talk to Kim."

Both Adam and Billy looked down in shame as they had done exactly that. After the letter, they hadn't had any contact with Kim whatsoever; they had put all their loyalties towards Tommy.

"I knew there was a brain in there," Trini teased, her dark eyes alit with the pleasure of Rocky's defence of his continued friendship with Kim.

"I'd take offence to that except for the simple fact that I know you can kick my ass," Rocky grinned.

Trini let out a soft chuckle, which stopped when she realized that Kat was still frowning. "You're not seriously upset that Rocky still talks to Kim, are you? Because I honestly don't see how that's any business of yours, or even why it would be a problem."

The boys winced, while Kat leaned back, a little flustered by the girl's words and tone. She opened her mouth to respond, but her best friend came to her defence before she could.

"Hey!" Tanya snapped, not liking the way the girl was going after her friend.

Trini just looked at her. "What? Name one thing that was wrong with what I said. Kat is neither Rocky's mother nor owner; she can't tell him what to do, so therefore, if he chose to continue to speak to Kim, I fail to see the impact it has on her life or her actions. Rocky is his own person."

"She's right," Emily spoke up. "I mean, I may not know Kimberly, or you guys that well for that matter, or even what really happened between her and Tommy, but if Rocky still wants to be the girl's friend, then who are you to stop him? Just because you're not, doesn't mean he can't be."

Tanya was chastised at Emily's words. Yes, it was basically the same thing that Trini had said, but she had taken offense to the former ranger's words because she had instinctively thought that the girl was casting spite against Kat for being with Tommy because Kimberly was her friend.

"You're right," Tanya sighed grudgingly. "Both of you."

"I was just surprised," Kat spoke up, her voice a bit hesitant as she didn't want to make the girl angry.

Trini tilted her head. "Why though? I mean, did you seriously expect Rocky to end all connection to Kim just because she broke up with Tommy? People break up all the time. And if you were as close friends as they were, I don't see why Rocky, or anyone else," here she threw a glance at the other males, forcing them to look away with renewed shame, "should choose sides. They should've remained friends with both of them. By your reasoning, I should've stopped being friends with Tommy and by extension have nothing to do with you or Tanya."

"Not to start anything," Emily said, feeling the tension, "but if Tommy was the one broken up with, why would you not be friends with him?"

Trini didn't answer her question. Instead, she posed one of her own. "If your boyfriend of nearly three years broke up with you in a letter, what would you do?"

Emily thought about the question. "My immediate instinct would say confront him, but honestly, I guess it would depend on what the letter actually said."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"Well," Emily explained, "If he explained that we've drifted apart out and he's met someone he thinks he could have a future with, that things had changed, and more importantly, he apologized, then I'd accept it and move on."

Kat felt vindicated. That was exactly how she felt.

"However," Emily continued, "If there was something in the letter that didn't make any sense, something just not adding up, then I'd confront him. I'd want a better and proper explanation." She shook her head. "But if I was being completely honest, if it was me, if after nearly three years together, he just out of the blue broke up with me, and in a letter no less, I'd confront him. If not physically, then he would be getting a phone call from me, because I'd want to know why I wasn't worth a face to face meeting or a phone conversation and not just a letter. I'd also want to know where things went wrong; if it was me or him, or if it was something that could've been fixed."

Tommy looked down at Emily's response, feeling a hot lance of shame slice through him. He hadn't done any of that.

Trini smiled, liking the girl even more.

"We're horrible friends, aren't we?" Adam spoke up.

Trini shook her head with a small laugh. "Honestly, I do understand why you sided with Tommy. He was here and his being hurt was right in your face. Not to mention the volunteering that you guys do; he needed the immediate support. I understand, I really do, but in terms of how you treated Kim, yeah you kinda are; especially considering everything you've been through with her."

A beeping sound filled the air.

"What is that?" Emily asked, looking around.

"Alarm," Rocky answered. "We have to go do our volunteer work."

"Oh," Emily frowned as she looked over at Jason. "I was hoping we'd be able to spend more time together."

"And we will," Jason assured her even as he stood up. "Are you going to stay here? We might be back later."

Emily shook her head, "No. I'm gonna head back to work on my bike. Besides, if you're not sure you'll actually be back here, then it makes no sense for me to wait here, right? I'll just see you tomorrow."

"Alright," Jason nodded and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

Emily smiled and turned to Trini, only to lose it when she saw the other girl leaving as well. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, sorry," Trini nodded, "I used to do the volunteer work and I kinda miss the boss. I haven't been to see him since I got back and I figured what better time than now. It was really nice to meet you though."

"Same," Emily nodded, though she was now curious about what it was her boyfriend and his friends did. "Hopefully we'll get to see each other some more and get to know each other a bit better."

"I'd like that," Trini smiled in response before leaving with the others, Jason throwing one last wave over his shoulders at his girlfriend.

~…~

While the rangers headed downtown to deal with the latest monster, Trini and Billy teleported to the Power Chamber.

"Whoa," Trini gasped as she looked around with wide yet curious eyes. "It's so different."

"Welcome Trini," Zordon's voice boomed.

"Hello Zordon," Trini smiled up at her once mentor. "It's so good to see you again."

"It is good to see you as well," Zordon replied.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi," Alpha cried out as he came into the room.

"Alpha!" Trini grinned when she saw the robot.

"Trini," Alpha greeted, "it is good to see you."

"You too Alpha," Trini's grin shifted to a smile. "I missed you…both of you."

"The feeling is mutual," Zordon assured her. "I will take this opportunity to say that I am very proud of you, yellow ranger. Your actions within your position at the Teen Summit was tremendous and very well done.

Trini flushed from the praise. "Thank you Zordon. Truthfully, at the time, I was sad to give up my ranger powers, but now, I can see that it was time. We did so much good with the Teen Summit that it felt like we were simply continuing on what we started when we became rangers."

Zordon gave the girl a nod. That was the reason he had encouraged her and the other two to accept the position as Ambassadors. He knew that they would go on to do more good, but on a world wide scale. He was very proud of them.

"And besides," Trini smiled. "We left the team, and our friends, in very good hands. Aisha, Rocky and Adam did an amazing job, from what I've heard. And though I've only known Kat and Tanya for a few days, I think they're doing amazing as well." Her smile turned to an impish grin. "You should be proud Zordon."

If Zordon was one prone to brushing, then he would at his young ranger's words. Instead, he simply smiled.

Their attention was drawn by Alpha who was watching the battle on the screen. She still couldn't get over the changes the Command Centre had gone through, including now being called the Power Chamber. But she didn't dwell on it too much, the battle happening on the screen commanded her attention. Later, she would take in all the changes.

It seemed like it took a long time for the rangers to defeat their monster. Or was that because she hadn't been a ranger herself in over a year? She said as much to Billy.

"It does seem like that, doesn't it?" the blond murmured back to her.

Trini looked over at him. "You miss being out there, don't you?"

"Yes," Billy nodded, not even hesitating. "But I suspect that you do as well."

Trini thought about it. "In some ways, I do; there's nothing quite like morphing and being out there fighting alongside your friends. But, there's also the part of me that is pretty thankful that I'm no longer doing it. The Peace Conference was amazing and while we didn't have the power that came with being rangers and being able to tap into the Morphin Grid, we still were able to accomplish a lot. I don't know about the others, but for me, though at the time it was bittersweet, looking back now, I can say that it was time for us to move on, for a new set of people to do what we did."

She saw the conflicting look on his face and gently touched his arm. "It's ok to still miss it Billy, to want to be out there with them right now. It's only been a few short months for you, but for me, it's been over a year; plenty of time for me to make the transition and be at peace."

Billy sighed and then gave a smile. Of course she would understand how he felt. "You're right."

Trini playfully bumped him. "Of course I am. And besides, you might not be out there on the field with them, but you're here, working with Alpha. You're still the one that helps to make whatever equipment the team needs to help them. You're still a power ranger Billy, but you're more behind the scenes now. And that's just as important as being out there with them because they still rely on you."

"Thanks Trini," Billy smiled at her.

Zordon looked down at his two rangers with pride in his eyes and a smile on his face. He was extremely proud of his yellow ranger. She had grown and matured even more in the time they'd been apart.

"Well said yellow ranger," Zordon praised.

Trini flushed at the words but kept the grin on her face.

The rangers teleported in moments later.

"You guys ok?" Trini asked, dark eyes roaming over the rangers, looking for any obvious injuries.

"We're fine," Jason smiled as he walked over to the girl, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Nothing more than usual."

"Well glad that hasn't changed," Trini shook her head with a grin. "So what's up for the rest of day?"

The rangers all exchanged looks. "Ernie's."

Trini laughed. "Another thing that hasn't changed."

~…~

There was something that Trini was very curious about and she knew that in order to appease her curiosity, she had to talk to the person who had aroused it in the first place. Which meant tracking him down and there was only one of two places he would be. She knew that her best chance would be at finding him at Ernie's, so she left the park and headed in the direction of the youth centre. If he wasn't there, then she would either check his house, or find some way to get into contact with Zordon to find him.

Which wasn't necessary as he was sitting at a table with food in front of him, along with a book.

Shaking her head, Trini made her way over to him, dropping into the empty chair across from him when she got there, grinning when he jumped as he hadn't heard her coming.

"Jesus Tri!" Rocky breathed as he got his heartrate back under control. "I swear to god you walk way too softly."

"Not possible," Trini grinned in reply. "Where are the others?"

"Somewhere," Rocky shrugged. "I think Kat and Tanya were out shopping, Jason's with Emily I believe, Billy might still be at home or maybe at the Power Chamber and I'm not too sure about Adam and Tommy." Another shrug. "Although, they're probably with Kat and Tanya."

"Tommy I get," Trini said, "but Adam?"

Rocky suddenly grinned, his expression one of delight. "Oh you didn't hear? Frog boy has himself a little crush."

The delighted expression almost instantly mirrored itself on Trini's face. "Seriously?"

"I'm not joking," Rocky laughed, "but either he doesn't know it yet, or he doesn't want to admit it yet. I gotta tell you, it's been so hard to hold back from the teasing because I know he'd kill me."

Trini let out a snort and shook her head. "Anyways, I was actually looking for you."

"What's up?"

Trini shifted in her seat, knowing that she was probably stepping pass boundaries but really, a part of her didn't care. "I wanted to talk to you, to get your opinion on this whole Kat/Tommy/Kim thing. I say you because besides Jason and Aisha, you were the only person to keep in contact with Kim after the breakup and I wanted your perspective on it. I can't ask Aisha because she's not here and I definitely can't ask Jason because as much as Tommy is like his brother/best friend, Kim is and has always been his little sister and he's biased towards her."

Rocky frowned a bit, "Well then I'm not really the best person to talk to, you know? I'm a bit biased towards Kim myself."

"I know," Trini nodded, because she did. His defence, and continued friendship, of Kim proved that. "But still, you became friends with them at the same time and you were here, where Tommy is, being around him every day and you were here to witness how he and Kat got started. That is what I'm missing."

Rocky blew out a breath and sat back in his seat. "Honestly? I think it was kind of shitty of Kat and Tommy to get together, especially considering the time period between when the letter came and when they actually got together. What makes it worse though, is that if it wasn't for Kim, we wouldn't be friends with Kat and she wouldn't even be on the team and then for her to not only set Tommy up on a date so soon after the letter came, but to also start dating him just months later? It's almost like a slap in the face, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Trini's brows furrowed. "When did she set him up?"

"It was just after the letter came," Rocky revealed, "Her and Billy took Tommy skiing and apparently he met some girl, Hannah or Heather or something, and Kat arranged a date. The girl didn't show up for whatever reason, and Kat and Tommy ended up having the date themselves. But she and Tommy didn't actually start dating until Ernie's luau a month or so ago."

He frowned. "I mean, she _was_ there for him after the letter came, more so than the rest of us. He'd want some time alone, but she never thought he should be and made sure of it. She thought he needed his friends around."

"Anybody else, yes," Trini concurred, "But Tommy's always been different. Back when he lost the green ranger powers, and he knew he had both Kim and Jason to talk to, he still wanted some alone time."

Rocky shrugged and continued. "Well eventually, her persistence paid off and he ended up asking her to the luau one day while she was practicing ballet. Of course at first he didn't see it as a date, but she did. And not long after that, they got together." he sighed. "I don't hate Kat. I don't even dislike her. She's actually a pretty cool girl and as a teenage boy, and despite how I feel about Aisha, I gotta admit that she is gorgeous. But it's just, it's Kim and Tommy. I've never met two people more suited for each other than those two. When Tommy was with Kim, he was different. I mean, he was the same, but—

"There was still something different about him," Trini finished. "I know what you mean. It was the same with Kim. She lit up around Tommy. And it was the same with him. He wasn't perfect, neither was she, but the two of them together? I never believed in the whole meant to be thing until them."

"Exactly!" Rocky had a triumphant look on his face.

"From the moment they saw each other," Trini continued after a small laugh, "something just clicked into place, for both of them."

"It's just weird," Rocky shook his head. "Tommy is dating the girl Kim chose to replace her as the new pink ranger. He replaced Kim with her own replacement."

"So why did you continue your friendship with Kim?" Trini asked.

"Because she was, is, my friend too," Rocky told her. "Though I never expected it, people in high school break up all the time. And with us, being rangers and fighting together, bonded even further through becoming Ninjetti. Basically, we've been through too much as rangers for me to stop being her friend just because she broke up with Tommy."

Trini smiled at him. "Aisha's going to be a lucky girl when you two finally get together."

Rocky blushed. "Nah, I'll be the lucky one."

"So I suppose since you and Kim still talk," Trini said, "that you know the real reason behind the letter?"

Rocky was confused. "You mean it wasn't because she really met someone else?"

Trini shook her head. "No. Kim loved, loves, Tommy too much to start dating someone else. She lied about that." Seeing the stunned look on his face, she sighed. "She probably didn't say anything because if it's one thing Kim hates to be, it's a burden. She probably figured you had too much going on with the ranger life and was afraid telling you might cause problems."

"That does sound like Kim," Rocky agreed. "So what was the real reason?"

Looking at the teen opposite her, Trini contemplated for a moment telling him the real reason behind the letter. In the end, she decided against it. "I want to tell you, I do, but, Tommy deserves to know the reason before anyone else."

Rocky nodded at that, but a brief spike of fear flashed through him. "Trini, it wasn't…I mean, she wasn't like hurt or anything was she? Someone didn't—

"No!" Trini cut him off. "It's ok Rocky, it's nothing like you're thinking. No one attacked her or anything."

"Oh thank god," Rocky breathed out. Shaking his head, he looked Trini over. "You're going to talk to Tommy, aren't you? You're going to try and get him and Kim back together."

"Yes," Trini nodded, not even thinking to lie about her motives. "I know I shouldn't interfere, that it's none of my business, but I can't. I have to at least try because I don't think either Kim or Tommy will."

"Kat won't be happy about this," Rocky pointed out, "and by extension, neither will Tanya. Kat's her best friend and her loyalty will be to her and she'll think you have no right interfering in Tommy and Kat's relationship, especially since Tommy's moved on."

"I know," Trini acknowledged, "And they'll both be right to feel the way they do, but it's not going to stop me. Besides, I plan to talk to Kat as well, though I doubt she'd want to listen to me after she finds out what I did, or what I'm up to and honestly, I won't blame her. But I can't just stay on the side lines, especially when I don't believe that either one of them has moved on."

Rocky smirked. "Well, my place will be open as shelter if you need a place to hide from the two of them coming after you."

Trini raised an eyebrow. "You think I can't take them?"

"Of course you can," Rocky snorted. "Even with two of them, you probably could." A thoughtful came over this face. "Although, they do have powers and you've been out of the game for over a year now. So…"

"Hey!" Trini reached over and smacked his shoulder.

The action caused Rocky to laugh and that's the scene that Jason and Emily walked up to.

"What's so funny?" Jason asked as he and Emily took a seat.

"Just Rocky being Rocky," Trini answered.

"So nothing new then," Jason smirked.

The four conversed for a bit before Jason and Rocky decided to spar, leaving Emily and Trini at the table. It was the first time the two were alone together, as Emily was busy with her job.

"So how'd you and Jason meet?" Trini asked, staring at the blonde opposite her.

"We met here actually, back in September," Emily smiled in remembrance. "I came in to apply for one of the waitressing positions and I met Jason as I was leaving. We did the most clichéd thing and literally bumped into each other."

Trini laughed delightedly.

"I know!" Emily grinned. "He apologized and then asked to treat me to a smoothie as a way to make up for it. After the smoothie, I agreed to a date and that was it. We've been together ever since. Almost two months."

Trini smiled at the other girl. "Well I'm happy for you. I never got a chance to ask, but are you going to Angel Grove High as well?"

"No actually," Emily shook her head. "I graduated back in May. I decided to take a year off before I head off to college, try to figure out what I want to do, you know?"

"I get that," Trini agreed. "I'm not even sure what I want to do myself."

"Oh are you like Jason?" Emily asked. "I know he said he was done with high school because of his Peace Conference."

"Yeah," Trini nodded. "Me, Jason and another friend of ours all received early high school graduation because of it. Which let me tell you, I am so happy about."

"I bet," Emily laughed. "You get to kick back and hang out while everyone else is still lamenting over homework, midterms and exams."

"Exactly!" Trini agreed.

~…~

Trini sat at a park bench as she waited for Tommy to arrive. She'd been thinking over what she would say to him all day. Well, to be honest, she'd been thinking about it since the day she had come back to town.

She meant what she had said to Rocky yesterday. She wasn't out to hurt Katherine. If after her talk with Tommy, he proved that he had actually moved on from Kim and there was no hope in him for them to get back together, then she would let it go. She would bite her tongue and butt out, and as much as it pained her, would be happy for him and Katherine.

A call of her name had her looking up and she saw Tommy walking towards her, a smile on his face.

"What's up?" Tommy asked when he sat down across from her. "Why'd you want to meet? Not that I mind."

Trini gave him a reassuring smile. "No worries Tommy. I just wanted to catch up." She sighed, looked away towards the lake, and then looked back at him. "Although, you're right; I do have an ulterior motive."

Tommy almost seemed to deflate. "It's about Kim isn't it?"

"Kinda," Trini hedged. "It's more about you and Katherine."

Tommy frowned. "What about me and Katherine? Trini, you know Kim and I have been over for months and I'm with Kat now. I've moved on, and Kat is a really nice girl who was there for me when I needed her to be."

"I know," Trini nodded in understanding. "I get that, I do. But just help me out here. Tommy, why her? Why of all people Katherine? The same girl that Kim chose as her replacement, you chose as your new girlfriend? Do you understand how that looks? More importantly, how it made Kim feel?"

Tommy felt a pang of distress of Kimberly being in pain, but it was followed by a slice of anger and satisfaction. "Kimberly broke up with me, remember? She was the one that chose to end our relationship, so what or who I go out with after, is honestly not her business Tri."

"And you chose not question it," Trini countered. "You never called, you never wrote, you never tried to find out why Kimberly of all people would write you such a letter. For crying out loud Tommy, she was in love with you! She loved you and the last thing Kim ever wanted was to hurt you. You know who she is, better than anyone, including me, and yet, you never questioned it. Why?"

Her words tore through him, and he assumed that was her intention. "Kim was the first girl I ever loved. What I felt for her, I've never felt for anyone else. She was my world. And when that letter came, I was devastated. So yeah I never questioned it, and maybe that was wrong of me, but I was in pain Trini. I'd just lost the most important person in my life because she wasn't just the girl I loved, she was my best friend, and she tore it all away the moment I got that letter. So excuse me if I was too hurt to try and call her to find out just what I did wrong."

There was pain and anger in his dark eyes and Trini felt her heart hurt when she saw it. He was one of her closest friends, and she hated that she was part of the cause of the pain and anger in his eyes. But, it wasn't enough to deter her.

"I understand you were hurting," Trini said eventually, "I am not trying to undermine that. What I don't understand is how. The letter was completely uncharacteristic of who Kimberly is as a person, especially when it comes to those she cares about and she loved you. And it never occurred to you, at all, that there might've been something wrong?"

A flash of fear.

"What do you mean something wrong?" Tommy demanded, dark eyes concerned. "Did something happen to Kim?"

Trini sighed. She knew that he needed to know what had happened and the real reason behind the letter, but when he learned the truth, it would hurt him because if there was one thing she knew Tommy hated, was the idea that Kim was hurt and/or in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. "In a way."

Tommy's fear didn't dissipate and concern grew. "What does that mean Trini? What happened to Kimberly?"

"She went through a power withdrawal," Trini revealed.

Tommy was stunned and a bit a confused as well. He'd experience a withdrawal himself and he knew how draining and damaging it was, but he honestly couldn't think that was so bad that Kim would break up with him, and months later.

"But that doesn't make sense," Tommy shook his head, "How can a withdrawal be the cause of Kim writing the letter when the letter came months later? Not only that, but she was fine when she left for Florida."

"Do you remember what Zordon explained when Katherine stole Kim's power coin?" Trini asked.

Tommy's brows furrowed. "He said that it was different from before because our Ninjetti powers came from us, and because of that, it was literally draining Kim's life force."

"Exactly," Trini nodded, "When you guys went to Phaedos, you unlocked and claimed the ancient Ninjetti powers and then, when you came back, Ninjor had to create the power coins to channel said powers and provide a more stable connection to the morphin' grid.

"Getting her power coin stolen, then getting it back and then having Zordon sever the connection created such an imbalance; not to mention the gruelling training she was putting herself through to show Schmidt how good of a gymnast she was. To go through those changes one after the other so very quickly was very damaging, though none of us knew it at that point. With her connection to the coin severed, she was able to stabilize and was able to train and perform for Schmidt and then getting the coin back only to pass it on?" Trini shook her head. "When Kim left for Florida, everyone, including her, thought she was fine. But she wasn't. The stability was only an illusion, a temporary stage, if you will. She started feeling the effects, though she didn't know that that was what it was, and then to add to it, she started training for Pan Globals and the Olympics and the training that comes with gymnastics is very rigorous and it just made things worse." She paused. "She collapsed you know? She ended up having to go to the hospital."

The words felt like a blow and immediately Tommy's mind was filled with memories of the last time Kim had been taken to the hospital, when he had thought she wouldn't wake up. But there was also hurt because his girlfriend, at the time, had been hurt and he hadn't known about it.

Trini saw the look on his face. "She didn't tell anyone, you specifically, because she knew you would be way too distracted."

"I was her boyfriend!" Tommy felt angry. "I had a right to know!"

"I agree," Trini nodded, "You did. But you need to remember that you were also a power ranger and the leader. You know how you get when Kim is trouble. She knew if she told you, that it would've made you worry and it might've caused you to make mistakes in the field because your mind would've been too focused on her and that you or one of the others would end up hurt because of that. She didn't want that on her conscience."

He didn't like it, but he understood. Doesn't mean he wasn't still angry over being left out of the loop regarding Kimberly though. "I still should've been told Trini."

"I know," Trini nodded, "Trust me, I was just as mad when I found out. To this day, none of the others know the truth; only me and Aisha, and now you."

Tommy sighed. "What happened after?"

"The doctors couldn't figure out why she collapsed," Trini continued, "Kim was healthy. Her weight was fine, she was eating and they were puzzled because they could find nothing wrong. But her coach was worried, so he gave her some time off and by the time she came home for Christmas at the end of those couple of weeks, the imbalance had been corrected and she was back to her old strength."

"And she stood in for Kat when she went back to Australia to be with her family," Tommy remembered.

"Yeah," Trini nodded, "touching the power again, so soon after she had recovered did not help her at all and then having to once again give it up? When she returned to Florida that January, she went right back into training while also going through another withdrawal. Sure, it was shorter than the previous one, but it was no less damaging. Kim was just, she was done Tommy. She was mentally, physically and spiritually done. And it also didn't help that she could still feel the pull of the Crane even though she had passed on the powers."

"But why?" Tommy's voice was soft with pain as he imagined just what his girlfriend had gone through and the knowledge that he hadn't been able to help her. Kim in pain, and him not being able to ease it, was always his Achilles heel. "How could she still feel the pull if Katherine had held the pink Ninjetti powers at that point?"

Trini pursed her lips as she thought on how to explain that part. When she and Kim, and Aisha, had first had this conversation, it had taken some finagling to figure it all out. "Because the Crane wasn't Katherine's spirit animal, it was Kimberly's. To my understanding, the Ninjetti animals were the spiritual representation of who are you; Kimberly, always on her toes, always agile, one of the most graceful persons ever, she was the Crane and the Crane was her, same with the rest of you.

"And from what and how it was explained to me, when Katherine took over, yes Zordon severed the connection between Kim and the coin, but that's all he did; he severed Kim's connection to the morphin' grid and simply muted her connection to the Crane and by extension the rest of you. It explains how Kim was still able to morph into her Ninja form despite her coin being taken. And I bet you that Katherine had problems with the powers but it probably wasn't noticeable because the other five animals were still there acting as an anchor and feedback loop of power."

Trini let out a sad sigh. "So in the end, she made a choice. She was losing her mind Tommy, and she had to make a decision to cut one of the two most important things out of her life. If she had cut gymnastics, then she would've been back here; sure, she probably would've gotten help, but it actually might've made things worse."

"How?!" Tommy cut her off and stood up to pace. "How could it have made things worse?! She should've come home! She would've come to us so that we could help her through it, so that we could be there for her! That _I_ could be there for her!"

"You mean like you did when you lost the green ranger powers?!" Trini snapped out, dark eyes flashing dangerously, reminding him of the way he had turned away from the team, and Kim, when he had retreated to his uncle's cabin to deal with the loss of the green ranger powers.

Tommy flinched at her words and deflated, dropping back down on the bench, knowing she was right. He had pulled away from the team, Kim especially, to deal with the power loss.

Trini took a deep breath and willed her anger away. "If she had done that Tommy, it could've prolonged the suffering because she would've been close for the pull to the Crane to be even stronger and it might've killed her. So she made the best choice she could for herself, one that in a way made things a bit more difficult for her because she knew, as upset and devastated as you would be by the breakup, at least you would have had the team to help you through it. But she was alone in Florida to go through it by herself. She had no one Tommy. Sure, a part of it was her choice, because she didn't tell me or Aisha anything. She didn't even tell Jason either and he still doesn't know, neither does Zack. Aisha and I, and now Rocky, we're the only ones that know, and even Rocky doesn't know everything."

Tommy closed his eyes as everything Trini said washed over him and sunk in. To think of Kimberly being in so much pain, but still underneath it all thinking of him.

Trini remained quiet as she allowed Tommy to work through everything. She knew it was a heavy amount of information she just threw at him and that he was more than likely reeling from it.

"Let me ask you something," Trini asked after a moment. "And be honest, if not with me—though I really hope you don't lie—then with yourself. In your heart of hearts, if Kim came back and asked for a second chance, with everything you know now, would you take her back?"

"I don't, I don't know Trini," Tommy admitted, "What you just told me really put a lot of things into perspective and gives me a better understanding, but I like Katherine. I really do, and I don't want to hurt her. I'm happy with her."

Trini nodded, understandingly, and stood up. "Call me selfish Tommy, but I don't think you're as happy with Katherine as you think or say you are. I think you chose her _because_ of the way she reminded you of Kim. I know you think I don't care about you and your happiness because of how I'm pushing, but it's _because_ I care why I am. You might be happy with Katherine, but you and Kim," she sighed, "you guys were something special. I knew it the first moment I saw you two together. Just do me a favour?"

"What?" Tommy asked.

"Just think about something for me," Trini continued, "At the end of the day, who's the one that's on your mind? When you picture your future, who do you see by your side? When you look into your heart, who's there? Answer those questions honestly and if the answer to all of them is Katherine, then so be it."

She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek before walking away. She had done what she had come here to do. She meant what she had told Tommy; she did believe in her heart that he and Kim belonged together but she also meant it when she said that if his choice really was Katherine, then so be it. It might not be what she personally wanted, but, it was his life, and she would accept his decision.

* * *

 **A/N 2:** so, what did you guys think? During a part of Trini's explanation, she mentioned both Phaedos and Ninjor in regards to the Ninjetti; I know most fans use the movie as canon, but that the actual episodes makes no mention of it and went the Ninjor route, but I decided why not have both be canon? Why not have the rangers go to Phaedos and then have Ninjor forge the coins? In regards to Trini; yes, she's meddling and yes, she knows that, but she is a girl on a mission.

 **A/N 3:** In regards to an update schedule, there really isn't one; I will try to update as frequently as I can, but please bear in mind that I do have a personal life, and I am also currently in what is technically my sophomore year of grad school. With that in mind, updates will be sporadic, but they will come.

 **Chapter title:** Trini comes home, and because of her decision to tell Tommy the truth about the letter, things get complicated; Tommy has to think on who he wants to be with, Kat and Tanya are weary about her and she inadvertently has started some complications in Jason's relationship (though that isn't known and won't be an issue at this point)

You're at this point, so you know what to do.

 _Kila_


	2. From Complications Comes Clarity

**Setting:** During ZEO and then through TURBO and TURBO: A Power Rangers Movie **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two friends back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 2:** From Complications Comes Clarity  
 **Chapter Word Count:** 12,452

 **A/N:** Here's chapter two. Thanks to everyone who's shown interest and is reading this story. I hope you continue to like it. Also, Happy New Year! Hope it is an awesome year for everyone

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _'Thinking'_

 **Original Posting Date:** _Tuesday, January 1, 2019_

* * *

When Trini walked away from him, Tommy sat at the park bench for a little while longer, mind going a mile a minute, before he left and headed to his house. He was still preoccupied with the conversation he had had with when he walked in and headed to his room.

Melissa Oliver, who was just closing the hallway closet, immediately noticed his preoccupation.

"Sweetie is something wrong?" Melissa's voice was full of concern a she followed Tommy into his room.

"I'm not sure," Tommy replied as he dropped onto his bed.

Melissa took a seat next to him. "Tommy, what is it? Talk to me."

"It's nothing, I," Tommy started denying before letting out a groan and a sigh. "It's Trini. I just had a conversation with her and I can't stop thinking about it."

Melissa frowned. "Well what did you two talk about?"

Tommy looked over at his mother. "Kimberly."

Hearing the name, Melissa froze a bit. It's been months since her son had received the letter ending the relationship with the girl that he had been in love with from the moment they met. She had been furious on her son's behalf when he had revealed the letter and its contents and she hadn't been able to understand how Kimberly could've done such a thing. It really hadn't seemed like the girl she had met and been so enamoured by. She had even brought up the possibility of it not having been Kimberly to write the letter, but Tommy had confirmed the handwriting.

And while she had resented her a bit, and if she was honest, still do, the bigger part of her still loved the girl like her own. She had been just as taken with Kimberly as her son had been.

"What about Kimberly?" Melissa asked. For a moment, fear went through her. "Is she alright? She's not hurt or anything, is she?"

"No she's fine," Tommy assured her, "At least, she is now."

His reply made her brows furrow. "What do you mean?"

Letting out a sigh, Tommy retold the conversation he had had with his friend, leaving out anything that resembled them being Power Rangers.

As she listened, Melissa was unable to stop the spark of hope that lit inside her. She may resent Kimberly a little bit for breaking her son's heart, which was a mother's prerogative, but she had always thought that Kimberly was perfect for Tommy. And, sometimes, she had spent days imagining their wedding and her future grandchildren. The letter had seemingly destroyed that, but now, it seems as if that dream might still be a reality.

When Tommy was finished, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "So, what you're saying is, all the harsh training combined with homesickness left Kimberly so overwhelmed and exhausted that she felt like a breakup was the only thing she could do to get herself on track?"

"According to Trini," Tommy said, "yes. And honestly mom, though knowing all of this changes everything, there's still a part of me that wants to just let it go because I'm with Kat now."

At the mention of the blonde teen, Melissa felt a bit of shame because she hadn't thought about the girl at all. It's not that she didn't like Katherine, she really did. The girl was very beautiful and it was obvious to anyone just how much she loved Tommy. She was sweet and kind and she really had been a good friend to Tommy after the breakup. Sure, she had initially been wary of her, especially those first few days after the letter when Katherine insisted on setting Tommy up with some other girl and sure she had been completely surprised the day Tommy came home and announced he was taking the blonde to Ernie's luau, but she had seen them together and had come to realize—albeit reluctantly—that they were good together.

As a mother, all you want is your child happy and safe. As long as Katherine made Tommy happy, then she was fine and Tommy had seemed happy, but looking at her son now, Melissa could see how conflicted he was. And his confliction told her that her son wasn't as over Kimberly as he claimed. And she could admit to herself that there was a big part of her that wanted to Tommy to choose Kimberly. But either way, whatever choice he made, someone would inevitably get hurt.

"What are you going to do?" Melissa asked.

"I don't know," Tommy sighed. "Trini thinks I should go after Kimberly, that things between us could be worked out and that we should get back together. But is that really fair to Katherine? She's been nothing but amazing and good to me and she's an incredible girlfriend."

"But if you _are_ still in love with Kimberly," Melissa countered, "and there's a part of you right now wishing to go after her, then is _that_ fair to Katherine?" when her son remained quiet, she gently touched his arm. "I think you should take Trini's advice Tommy. I think you should take the next few days and think about it, really think about what it is that _you_ want."

Patting him on his arm, she stood up and left the room.

Tommy watched her leave and then he moved to sit against his headboard. He had been hoping that his mother would help him figure out what to do because he honestly didn't know. He had moved on from Kimberly. Sure, she was never too far from his mind, and lately, he had been thinking about her, but he had finally gotten past the letter and was happy with Katherine. The blonde was amazing and a godsend and he wasn't sure he would've moved on so easily if it wasn't for her. Did she deserve this? Just because he now knew the real reason behind the letter didn't mean that Katherine deserved to be thrown to the side.

In a flash, he felt a moment of anger towards Trini that had him off the bed and pacing. He couldn't believe what she had done. How could she interfere in his relationship with Katherine? Everything was perfect. He was happy, he had moved on and he was barely thinking about Kimberly. He didn't need Trini showing up and saying all sorts of things and putting thoughts into his head. How dare Trini do that to him?!

But as quick as the anger came, it faded. It wasn't Trini's fault, not really. All she had done was reveal to him something he hadn't known before. He sat back down on the bed, all anger gone. He didn't want to admit it, but the truth was, if he had known about everything when he'd first gotten the letter, then he wouldn't be with Katherine right now. Instead, he would've gone after Kimberly and the two of them would still be together. And that was the root of his torn feelings; should he stay with Katherine or should he go after Kimberly, now that he knew the truth?

The truth.

Groaning, Tommy dropped his head into his hands. Kimberly had been in pain, she had been going through hell and he hadn't known. None of them had. Why hadn't he called when he got the letter? Why hadn't he gone after her? If Zordon had said no, and he honestly couldn't imagine he would've, it's not like it would've been the first time he'd gone against Zordon's orders. He knew the letter had been out of the blue and wasn't Kim at all, but, he had been so hurt and devastated over Kim ending things that he had simply let her go because despite it all, all he'd ever wanted was to make her happy and she had claimed to be happy. So what else could he have done but accept it?

And now, it turns out that that was the _last_ thing he should've done. Because now all he could think about was what might've been.

Another groan.

His mom was right. If he was thinking now about how things would've been, then how was that fair to Kat? She didn't deserve this.

' _I have to make a choice. And I don't know what I'm going to do.'_

~…~

A few days later found Katherine walking through the park on her way to meet Tommy. the blonde had a smile on her face as she thought of her boyfriend. There were still some days when she could hardly believe that they were dating, that _she_ was his girlfriend. From the day she first saw him, she has always felt an attraction towards him. Sure at the time she had been under Rita's spell, but even that, the feelings had gone deeper to who she was underneath. Seeing the way Tommy was with Kimberly even after they had saved her from Rita's spell had done nothing but made her feelings for him grow.

Just watching him with the former pink ranger had shown that he was everything she had wanted in a boyfriend; he was loyal, sweet, attentive and it was obvious how much he adored his then girlfriend. She could admit deep down, that some of the jealousy and issues she'd had towards Kimberly hadn't all been the spell. She had wanted to be in her place. But then, the spell had broken and Kimberly had been the first to welcome her to the team and she had spent days with them, getting to know the team and the friends she'd suddenly found herself with. Unfortunately, spending time had only helped her feelings grow, even after she'd come to the realization that Tommy saw no one else but Kimberly. And she could admit that Kimberly was perfect for him. It was a thought that was shared by the entirety of the school; they weren't brought up in conversation often, but when they were, it was the one thing everyone seemingly agreed on.

So, she had buried her own feelings and had resigned herself to simply being friends with Tommy. But the more time they spent together, the more her feelings grew, to the point that when the letter came, though she had been upset and hurting on Tommy's behalf, a part of her had felt nothing but relief because Tommy being free meant that she had a chance. She had wanted him to see her, to see that she would be good for him, so she had organized the ski trip. Him liking another girl hadn't even occurred to her and though it hurt, she had pushed it away to help him set up a date with the girl. But though the night had started out a mess for her, it had ended brilliantly. When she had learned that Heather hadn't shown up, she had been sad that once again, another girl had hurt Tommy, but more than that she had been ecstatic when Tommy had asked to stay and finish the dinner with him and it had all culminated in a dance.

' _Dancing with Tommy that night had been everything I'd been imagining and more,'_ Kat thought. _'Feeling his arms around me had felt so perfect and I just knew we'd be so good together if only he'd give me a chance.'_

And her patience had been rewarded. Though it had happened weeks after, Tommy had finally asked her to Ernie's luau and the rest was history. They were together now and she honestly couldn't be happier. Sure there was a part of her that felt a bit bad for Kimberly, because despite what others may think, she did consider Kimberly a friend and she knew that it was seen as wrong to date your friend's ex, but, she honestly couldn't help how she felt. She truly did like Tommy, may even love him, and it's not as if she actively pursued him before and after his breakup. She had been friends with both him and Kimberly and had respected their relationship, and after the breakup, she had simply remained Tommy's friend, reminding him to continue on with his life and helping him deal with the out of the blue breakup.

Yes, she felt bad in a small way and though she would always consider Kimberly a friend, it was Kimberly who had chosen to end her relationship. And as the saying went, "one person's loss, is another person's gain."

A part of her though was worried. It's a worry she has felt since the day Trini first arrived back in town. She knew the worry stemmed from the fact that Trini was Kimberly's best friend and with her now dating Tommy, Kimberly's ex-boyfriend, she knew there was bound to be some issues, but other than her words that very first meeting, the original yellow ranger hadn't done or said anything that could be seen as anything other than nice.

So then why was she worried?

' _I'm just being paranoid. Trini hasn't said a word against my and Tommy's relationship.'_ A frown. _'Ok, sure it's probably because she's spent more time either at the Power Chamber or with Emily, getting to know her, but still. She spent time with all of us and was nothing but nice, offering advice and encouragement. Not once did she mention the breakup. Sure she's mentioned Kimberly a few times, but that's understandable; not only is Kimberly her friend, but she was a former ranger and most of her stories were about things that happened before they met Tommy.'_ head shake. _'I really am just being paranoid. And I should really stop worrying. I'm fine. Tommy's fine and Tommy and I are fine together.'_

~…~

Tommy was nervous as he waited for Kat to arrive. He knew the conversation he was about to have with his girlfriend would be difficult, but it needed to happen. She deserved to know why he'd been so out of it the last few days, why he'd been pulling away from her. She'd be angry and hurt, and she would have every right to be, but she deserved the truth.

"Tommy!"

He looked up and saw the blonde approaching and couldn't help but to admire her. He saw a few guys turn to watch her walk and didn't blame them. She really was a gorgeous. With her long, blonde hair and blue eyes and a very nice body, Kat deserved the looks she received. But she was more than that, he knew; she was nice and kind and supportive and like him, she had overcome a past where she had been forced to attack the people who would end up becoming her friends.

"Hey Kat," Tommy greeted when she drew close.

Kat smiled and hugged him. She moved to kiss him, but frown when he shifted and she caught his cheek instead. "Tommy?"

"We need to talk," Tommy answered instead.

Alarm bells rang as dread filled her stomach. _We need to talk_. Four words so simple and easy and when separate meant nothing, but when placed together, and with a look like the one Tommy was wearing, never meant well for the person who heard them. And she knew, whatever he was about to say, she would not like it.

Tommy gestured to the bench. "Sit, please."

Heart pounding, Kat sat down, staring at her boyfriend with concerned filled blue eyes. "Tommy, what's going on?"

Tommy sat next to her, though he kept a small distance between them. This was going to be difficult. "I know I've been a bit preoccupied the last few days and I know you've noticed it."

She gave a nod, "So why were you? Did something happen?"

"Kinda," Tommy admitted. _'God this is so hard.'_

"And what?" Kat questioned, "What is it Tommy?" she reached out and grabbed his hand in hers, giving it a gentle and encouraging squeeze. "You can tell me."

"I'm so sorry Kat, but…" Tommy took a deep breath, released and briefly closed his eyes. "I'm breaking up with you."

Kat snatched her hands back and stared at him almost uncomprehendingly. It took a moment for her to find her voice. "What? What do you mean you're breaking up with me? Did I do something?"

Tommy immediately shook his head. "No, you didn't do anything."

"Then explain this to me please Tommy because I don't understand," Kat implored. "If I did nothing wrong, then why are you breaking up with me?"

' _How to explain? No matter how I do though, she's going to be hurt.'_ "We never should've gotten together." When Kat flinched away from him, he hurried to explain himself. "no, no, it's nothing against you. Honestly Kat, it isn't." he sighed and squeezed his hands together. "I found out something, something that changed everything."

And suddenly she knew. "It was about Kimberly, wasn't it?"

"The letter was a lie Kat," Tommy revealed, "Kim never met anyone else, she lied."

Kat was shocked. If Tommy wanting to break up was not what she had been expecting, neither was this. Kimberly lied? Why would she lie about something like that? How could she do that knowing it would hurt Tommy to think that she cheated on him?

"Ok I get that the letter was lie," Kat said, "but she still ended things. She still chose to lie to and breakup with you. How does that affect us? Why does that make you want to end things between us?!" she abruptly stood up. "You moved on! Regardless of the reasoning, you moved on! With me! Why does you knowing the truth now has to change anything?!"

"Because I never would've gone out with you if I'd known the truth!" the words came out with a bite and made Kat pale.

"What?" Kat whispered, eyes taking on a sheen as tears filled them.

"I'm sorry for snapping," Tommy apologized, "but it's the truth Kat. If I'd done what everything in me was urging me to do, which was go after Kim or even call her, then you and I never would've gotten together."

"But we did Tommy." Kat implored. She felt like she was repeating herself, but she had to make him understand. "We did get together. Nothing has to change. So you know the letter was a lie, and I'm sorry about that, really I am, but it doesn't, _shouldn't_ , change anything. It's still over between the two of you."

She stopped when a thought suddenly came to her. _'It can't…no.'_ But when she looked at him, she saw that he was avoiding looking at her and she knew. "You don't want it to be over. You want a second chance." She paused, her throat working to get out the words that she didn't want to say, but knowing she had to. "You're still in love with her."

Tommy fell back against the bench. "I never stopped Kat. I buried my feelings, I pushed past them, but I never stopped loving her."

"And you got with me knowing you still loved her," Kat let out a bitter laugh. "Why the hell would you do that to me?"

"Because I did like you!" came the almost angry and harsh response as he turned and looked at her. There was an almost desperate edge to his eyes, begging her to understand, but she honestly did not want to. "I never would've dated you if I didn't like you Kat. And I thought I was moving on; that there was nothing more left to me and Kim and that she had moved on, so I had the right to as well."

"And now you're just throwing us," Kat gestured between them with a hand, "away. Just because you know some truth about the letter? And how do you know anyways?"

"Trini told me," Tommy admitted, "And she wouldn't lie to me, not about this."

Kat was in disbelief. _'Did he just say…'_ "Trini?"

"Yes," Tommy nodded, "She's the one who told me everything. And I was so angry at her, but I needed to know the truth Kat. For months I've been wondering what happened and what went wrong, and now I know. And my mom was right, how can I continue being in a relationship when just by hearing the truth, it brought back all my feelings? Why was I feeling so torn about everything if I had truly moved on? I needed to think things over and I needed to make a decision."

Kat swallowed heavily, tears clogging her throat. "And you decided to break up with me." A nod. "Because you realized, or rather, you've admitted, that you're still in love with Kimberly." A pause, and then a slow nod. "And you want a second chance with her."

The pause was a bit longer this time, and when Tommy finally spoke, his voice was soft with regret and pain. "Yes."

"You're a bastard Tommy Oliver," Kat let out a teary chuckle. When he reached out as if to touch her, she flinched back. "Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry."

Kat snorted. "Yeah well, your sorry don't mean much." She sighed. "Just go Tommy. You've said what you had to say. You've made your choice, and it's not me, so just leave."

A part of her wanted, _hoped_ , that he wouldn't leave, that he would stay and comfort her. But the bigger part was not surprised when he simply gave her a nod and sad smile and walked away. The moment he was out of sight, she collapsed back onto the bench, buried her face in her hands and broke down.

~…~

The rest of the rangers, and Trini, were sitting around two tables in the youth centre, eating lunch when Kat came in. She caught sight of the group and when her eyes fell on the Vietnamese, they narrowed in anger and she stormed over to the group.

"How dare you?!" the blonde hissed as she came to a stop next to Tanya.

The others were caught off guard and looked at their friend in confusion.

"Kat?" Tanya questioned, but she was ignored. Kat only had eyes for the dark haired girl sitting next to Jason.

"What gave you the right to interfere in my and Tommy's relationship?" Kat demanded. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"What's going on?" Adam asked, looking from Kat to Trini and back again.

Trini simply raised an eyebrow. "Huh. So he did talk to you."

"He did more than talk!" Kat spat out. "Because of you, he broke up with me!"

"What?!" came from the others, except Trini.

Tanya turned to glare at her predecessor. "What did she mean you made Tommy break up with her? What did you do?"

Trini looked at her and then looked around, noticing that they were drawing attention from everyone else. "I think we should have this conversation in private."

"Now you're concerned about privacy?" Kat scoffed. "Where was the privacy when you stuck your nose in my business?"

"Considering some of the things that I have to say," Trini replied as she stood up. "It really would be better to have this conversation in private and I would think that you of all would understand." She threw a glance towards the bracelet on Kat's wrist while subtly circling her own wrist with her other hand.

Catching on to her train of thought, Jason stood up as well. "She's right Kat. Whatever happened, we'll talk, but it can't be here."

"Oh of course!" Kat snapped out, "Take her side."

Sighing, Trini started walking away. "If you want to yell at me, you can follow, but I am _not_ having this conversation where everyone can hear every word that is said, _including_ words that none of you would like them to hear."

Kat was fuming as she watched Trini and Jason walk away but if she wanted to say what she had to say to the other girl, she had no choice but to follow her.

Tanya was immediately out of her seat and after her best friend. She was confused, angry and worried. Kat and Tommy broke up? Trini had something to do with it?

Rocky, Adam and Billy exchanged looks before they too got up and followed the others.

"Where should we go?" Jason asked once everyone was gathered outside.

"We can go to my place," Billy offered up, "My dad is out of town for a conference and won't be back until next week. We can use my garage, like always."

After checking to make sure no one was around, the group teleported out. The moment they arrived at Billy's, Kat whirled around on Trini.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?!"

"Kat, what happened?" Tanya stepped between her friend and the former ranger. "What did you mean when you said that Trini made Tommy break up with you? When did you break up?"

"Today," Kat told her, slightly calming down. "Tommy asked to meet at the park and when I got there, he said that he wanted to break up." She paused, tears refilling her eyes as she recalled his words. "He told me that if he had known the truth, he never would've asked me out."

"What truth?" Adam asked.

"That the letter was a lie," Trini answered. And her answer shocked the others, except Rocky.

"What?"

"Kim lied," Trini told them, "there was never any other guy. She never met anyone else and she never cheated on Tommy. She lied."

"But why?" Jason questioned, unable to believe what he was hearing. "And how come I don't know about this?"

"Because she didn't want anyone to know what was really going on," Trini shrugged.

"So she lied," Tanya shook her head, "What does that have to do with Tommy and Kat breaking up?" she turned to her friend. "Kat?"

"Ask her!" the blonde glared at the former yellow.

"He broke up with her because he realized he was still in love with Kimberly," Trini said. "When Tommy found out the truth, that the letter was a lie, he was torn. He liked Kat, but now he knew that there was more to his and Kimberly's breakup than he had known; than any of you had known."

Kat let out an angry chuckle. "He didn't just 'find out'. You told him! You went and messed in _my_ relationship when you had no right to!"

"He deserved to know," Trini replied.

Tanya was angry. She had wanted to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but since the day they had met Trini and the girl had made the remarks she had made, she had known on some level that the Vietnamese girl had to be watched. But she had never expected this. And now to hear that all her fears had been proven right?

"I can't believe you!" Tanya shouted at the other girl. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Shouldn't have trusted me?" Trini cut her off, starting to get angry herself. "Let's be real, you've been against me from the moment we met because your hackles were already up. You cast your lot with Kat and of course I'm one of Kimberly's best friend so you were already prepared to not like and distrust me."

"And I was right, wasn't I?!" Tanya snapped back. "I knew from what you said to Kat that first day that you were angry at her for being with Tommy."

Trini took a step closer. "And so what if I was? Kimberly was supposedly her friend and what did she do? Instead of being a fucking friend, she went and dated Kimberly's ex! Do you know how much of a slap in the face _that_ was considering everything Kim had done for her? Like she couldn't _wait_ to get her chance with Tommy."

Tanya's eyes were spitting fire and she took a step forward, hand raised.

At that point, the guys immediately intervened, with Jason going for Trini and Adam grabbing Tanya with Billy and Rocky standing in the middle.

"Guys," Jason grabbed Trini's arm to pull her away from his two teammates. Powers or not, if it broke out into a fight, he would put money on Trini holding her own against the two girls.

Tanya did not let Adam's hold on her stop her from talking. "You screwed around with Kat's relationship when you damn well know you had no right to!"

"He was believing a lie!" Trini yelled back.

"Yeah? And who's fault was that?" Katherine sneered, "Your precious Kimberly who could do no wrong yet couldn't wait to open her legs—

"Don't!" Jason cut her off, his eyes and voice cold. "You finish that sentence and I'll let Trini go and I guarantee, you _won't_ win. Say what you want, but you never dare insult Kimberly like that in front of me."

Katherine was taken aback by his tone of voice and when she looked at him, she felt a bit of shiver at the look in his eyes. A quick glance showed the same look on Rocky's face, disbelief on Adam's and disappointment on Billy's. But it was the look on Trini's face that actually caused her to take a step back.

Trini was seeing red at the blonde's words, but she honestly, desperately tried to contain anger She did not want to fight with the two girls, but if Katherine had even finished that sentence, then not even Jason would've been enough to hold her back.

She knew that she shouldn't have interfered, she knew that, but she stood by her choice. Tommy deserved to know the truth. It didn't matter that he and Kat hadn't started dating until a couple of months after the letter, their relationship still started on false belief. And if all it had taken to shake their foundation was her telling him that the letter was a lie, then maybe their relationship wasn't as solid as they had all thought it was. And she said as much. Of course, that did not go over well.

"You're out of damn mind," Tanya said as she rubbed her best friend's shoulder, seeing that the blonde was now crying softly.

"I'm not actually," Trini retorted. She took in the sight of a crying Kat and some of her anger eased. "You might not believe me, but I didn't set out to hurt you. You're right, I shouldn't have interfered, but he had to know the truth Kat. And I didn't mean to disparage your relationship, but it is true. I'm not saying that what you had with Tommy wasn't real, because it was. Tommy did genuinely have feelings for you. What I'm saying is, if Tommy had truthfully and completely moved on, then my telling him the truth about the letter should not and would not have left him so torn. But because he _was_ torn, it showed that he wasn't as over Kimberly as everyone thought he was."

"You never would've lasted," Rocky spoke up, drawing stunned eyes from everyone except Trini, because they did not expect the words from him.

"Rocky?" Adam looked at his best friend in surprise.

"Kat and Tommy wouldn't have lasted," Rocky repeated. "Maybe to the end of high school, maybe even a year or two in college, but things would've ended between them."

"How can you say that?" Tanya demanded, disbelief clearing her surprise. She had thought Rocky was their friend. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because Trini's right," Rocky said, "If it wasn't the letter, then it would've been something else; maybe even Kimberly herself. We're friends with Kat and with Tommy and with Kimberly and some of us are friends with all three, so there's a high chance that Kim and Tommy would've ran into each other again. And what do you think would've happened? All those feelings that Tommy thought were gone, that Kim thought were gone, would've just come rushing back and it would've destroyed whatever relationships—if any—either of them would have at that point."

"So what?" Kat said, "it was better it ended now rather than some possible future that may or may not even happen?"

"Yes." Rocky and Trini said as one.

"As much as you're hurt and angry and in pain right now," Trini continued, "Imagine how much worse it would be if you were a few years into your relationship instead of months?"

"So you're sparing me?" Kat scoffed. "Don't fool yourself. It was about Kimberly."

"It was about all of three of you," Trini corrected. "Tommy needed to know everything to make a proper and informed decision. He did, and it was _his_ choice as to what decision he would come to. Contrary to what you believe Katherine, I didn't force Tommy to do anything."

"Nobody can force Tommy to do something he doesn't want to do," Rocky said. He looked over at Billy and Adam. "We've seen that."

"Hell," Jason shrugged, " _I've_ seen that."

"Exactly," Rocky continued, "Trini's right Kat, she didn't force Tommy to do anything. You can be mad at her for interfering, but you can't be mad at her for that. All she did was simply tell Tommy the missing truth. What he did after that was all on him."

"Well," Kat chucked sarcastically, "it's nice to know whose side you come down on. It's nice to know that my friends were waiting for my relationship to fail. We're supposed to be teammates and you—

"You don't want to go down that line Kat," Trini cut her off, "do not pull the "we're friends" line."

Katherine stared at the other girl. "You know what? Fuck you Trini." With that bomb, she teleported out.

Tanya stared around at the others, disbelief and disgust in her eyes and voice. "Well I'll pull it." She turned to Rocky. "Kat is your teammate and your friend and you are just ok with _her,_ " a gesture to Trini, "coming in and ruining her and Tommy's relationship? And you don't even take Katherine's side, you take Trini's?!"

At that, Trini pulled out of Jason's grip. "You mean like the way they took Tommy's when Kimberly was their friend and teammate? You mean the same way they just dumped Kimberly? You mean the way Katherine decided it was a _great_ idea to set Tommy up with another girl not even a fucking _week_ after he and Kimberly broke up?!"

With each question, Trini took a step forward, forcing her counterpart to step back. "Spare me the hypocritical bullshit. And if you got off your high horse, you'd see that Rocky wasn't taking my side, he was simply stating his opinion, which last I checked, was still a free thing to do!" She smirked. "And here's another opinion; now Katherine knows what Kim felt."

At that, Tanya gave the girl a dark look before she teleported out, leaving Billy and Adam to stare at Trini. What had just left her mouth was nothing like the Trini they knew.

Trini saw the look, closed her eyes briefly as if in pain, turned and left the garage, walking quickly away.

"Damnit," Jason hissed softly before he took off after her.

"What just happened?" Adam asked, turning to look at his two remaining teammates.

"Something big," Rocky answered with a sigh.

Billy turned inquisitive blue eyes to his friend. "When did you learn of the truth behind the letter? Did Kimberly reveal it to you?"

"Trini did actually," Rocky told him, "When Kim and I talk, we kinda avoid the letter and mostly Tommy too. I figured it was just too painful for her and that it might be kind of shoving everything in her face. So, we talk about her gymnastics and school and everything else, but not those topics." He frowned. "But I didn't know the _actual_ reason, just that there was a reason. Trini told me that there never was anyone else, but she said that Tommy deserved to know what really happened before anyone else."

"What is it Billy?" Adam asked, after seeing the frown on his friend's face.

"I'm not sure," Billy murmured, "I got the distinct impression that there was more that Trini knew and that Tommy now knows."

"Why do you say that?" Rocky asked.

"Because then why would Trini be so hesitant to reveal it to us before Tommy if it was as simple as there being no one else?" Billy explained.

Adam had a thought and blanched. "You don't think—

"No!" Rocky cut him off, knowing what his friend was asking, "I thought of the same thing and I asked Trini and she said it wasn't anything like that; no one hurt Kim or anything." He frowned. "But I think Billy's right. There is definitely more to this than just Kim lying about meeting someone else."

~…~

Jason caught up to Trini not too far from Billy's.

"Hey," Jason called out as he ran up to her. "Wait up."

Trini stopped, but didn't turn around. Jason got in front of her. "You ok?"

"Shouldn't you be asking your teammates that?" Trini asked as she started walking again.

"Well I'm asking you," Jason countered as he gently nudged her shoulder. "Talk to me Tri."

The girl let out a groan. "You know I didn't mean that last part, about Katherine feeling what Kim felt."

"I know," Jason nodded.

"It's just that," Trini continued, "She got me so mad! I get that Kat is her best friend, and honestly I admire and like the fact that she's so willing to go to bat for her, but that hypocrisy." She sighed. "I really didn't mean to hurt Kat."

"But you had to have known she would've been hurt," Jason said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I did," Trini nodded, "but Jase, honestly, if Tommy had told me he was choosing Kat, I would've respected his decision. Sure, a part of me would've been sad that he and Kim wouldn't be back together, but he's my friend and I would've been happy for him."

She leaned in to him with a sigh. "Tommy had to know. He likes Kat, even I can see that, but you know just as well as I do, that if Kim had never written that letter, then they would still be together. Even more, if Tommy had known what really happened, he never would've started dating Kat."

"What do you mean 'what really happened?'" Jason looked down at her with furrowed brows.

"She went through a power withdrawal Jase," Trini revealed.

The words stunned him to his core. "What?"

"Yeah," Trini nodded ruefully. "And it was a bad one, probably because of the powers she held. And to top it off, she was by herself. I mean, when we got to Switzerland, at least we had each other and Zack when we experienced ours and Aisha was in good company because the tribe she was with knew about the rangers, but Kim—

"She had no one," Jason finished. He pulled away from her. "Damnit! Why didn't she call us? Call me?"

"You know Kim Jason," Trini said, "She would've thought she was being a burden. Stupid, I agree, but it's what she thought."

He had to agree with her.

"You should've seen the look in his eyes," Trini recounted. "It was like, all the love, every emotion, just flooded into him and I knew, he still loved her. The only thing I wanted to know was if he wanted a second chance or if he was finally going to move on."

"Judging by Kat's words," Jason picked up, "He chose the second chance. Now my question is, what if Kim _doesn't_ want the second chance?"

"She does," Trini assured him. "Of course she might be hesitant considering how hurt she was when he never called her, and he might have to work for it, but it's Tommy and Kimberly."

Jason laughed. "He won't give up, not this time, and since she still loves him, it won't take that long."

"Some of the trust is broken between them," Trini added on, "But, I believe in them."

~…~

It has been over a week since Tommy ended his relationship with Kat, and the subsequent confrontation in Billy's garage and things were still tense between the rangers, and also between Trini and Kat and Tanya.

The current yellow ranger was still angry at her predecessor for in her mind overstepping her bounds and interfering in Kat's relationship, and as Kat's best friend, she could not relax or be friendly to the other girl.

Trini for her part while she was sad over the tension in the team (Rocky had taken her side, as had Jason, and to Kat and Tanya that was like a betrayal, while Adam and Billy remained neutral but even that seemed to garner some tension from the two rangers, Tanya especially who felt that they should be at least a little upset), she still stood by her choice.

Kat on the other hand, though still angry at Trini—and to a lesser extent the others—she had also slipped into a slight stage of denial. She refused to believe that her and Tommy should give up so easily, especially when they had been so good together. She fully believed that Tommy _had_ moved on and that they should still be together. So what if he knew the truth about the letter now? Kimberly still ended things. All she had to do was be a bit patient and try to prove to Tommy, and everyone else, that he had made the wrong decision, one that could still be corrected.

Zordon was aware of what had occurred between the team, but they had assured him that despite everything, they wouldn't let it interfere with their duties. And though it was difficult, with the ever present tension, they were still able to work together to defeat whatever monster the Machine Empire sent down to attack.

Emily noticed the tension between the group of friends. At first, she said nothing as she reasoned that it honestly was not any of her business, but when she showed up to meet Jason and saw him, Trini and Rocky at one table, with Tommy doing karate on the mats, Kat and Tanya at another table and Billy and Adam also away at the machines, she couldn't help herself.

"Did something happen?" she asked as she dropped a kiss on Jason's upturned lips before she grabbed a chair and placed it next to him.

"Why do you ask?" Jason frowned as he looked her over.

Emily pointed out the distance between the friends.

"That would be my fault, kinda," Trini sighed, and then she went on to explain everything, or explaining the bare bones that the others had. Emily, despite being Jason's girlfriend, was still in the dark about them being rangers, and therefore couldn't know everything. When she was done, Emily kept quiet, trying to process it all.

"Em?" Jason gently nudged his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Give me a moment," Emily replied. She went quiet for a few more seconds, before she nodded. "Ok. First, I get where Katherine is coming from. Good intentions or not, you did deliberately interfere with her relationship. You knew, on some level, what Tommy would do the moment you told him the real motivation behind the letter."

Trini nodded in agreement and looked away briefly. She had told Tommy, and the others, that she would respect his decision if he chose Katherine, but a part of her knew that by telling him the truth, he would choose Kimberly. It was after all her motivation for telling him, because a love like theirs had been, didn't just disappear easily.

"On the other hand though," Emily continued, "You were right. Even though Tommy didn't start to date Katherine until weeks later, he was still moving under the assumption that Kimberly had in essence, kinda cheated on him. That wasn't the truth and he did deserve to know that everything was all a lie. And while you might've known on some level, you still couldn't have known with one hundred percent certainty that he would've done exactly what he did. Tommy could've just as easily decided to stay with Katherine. You were right, but you were also wrong." She paused. "Do you regret it?"

"No," Trini replied. She paused. "I regret that Kat was hurt, and I regret that it's causing tension, but I don't regret telling Tommy the truth."

"Well what's done is done," Emily shrugged.

"That's it?" Rocky looked at her in confusion.

"To be honest," Emily told him, "I really don't know you guys well enough to stick my nose in this. Sure, I know you through Jason, but—and no offense—we're acquaintances at best because we really don't spend that much time together. I mean, yeah, I see you guys often, but only enough to get the basics. You guys have known each other for years. So I'm just going to stay out of this and leave it to all of you."

None of them could fault her for that, so they said nothing.

Over on the other side, Kat kept shifting her glance between Trini and the others and Tommy.

"What is it?" Tanya asked when she noticed what her best friend was doing.

Her gaze settled on Tommy and despite everything, she couldn't help the flutter nor warmth in her belly as she looked at him. "Everything is so messed up."

"You still love him," Tanya stated.

"It hasn't been that long since he broke up with me," Kat retorted.

"Yes but it's more than that," Tanya agreed, but held her point. "You want him back, don't you?"

She could lie, Kat knew, but this was her best friend and Tanya had already proven that she was on _her_ side first and foremost, that she was sticking by her. "Is that so obvious or such a surprise? I still stand by what I said. I get that Kimberly lied, but the end point still remains and that is that she _chose_ to end the relationship by lying instead of just talking to Tommy." she let out a frustrated groan. "Why can't Tommy see or understand that? It doesn't matter, it _shouldn't_ matter that she lied, what should matter is what happened after. They broke up and he moved on…with me."

Tanya nodded. "You're right, it shouldn't. But Tommy made his choice and he seems pretty determined to stick by it. And we both know Tommy; when he makes up his mind, you can't change it."

Kat let out a bitter chuckle, "Only one person has ever been able to get him to change his mind."

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Well she dumped him, so moot point."

Kat gave her friend a curious look. "You don't think I should let it go?"

"Look Kat," Tanya started, "You're my best friend. Not only that though, I wasn't here for the epic Tommy and Kimberly relationship. What I _was_ here for was her dumping him and then the two of you getting together. You were happy, both of you and call me selfish, but as your best friend, I want you to be happy again and if you think that that's with Tommy, then go for it. You have to at least try, or at least fight for your man."

Kat took a breath and released it. She felt confidence fill her at her best friend's words, words that had succeeded at reassuring her that she and Tommy did deserve a chance and that she _should_ try again. Tanya was right; she had to at least try to fight for her relationship. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

~…~

True to her word, Kat didn't give up. Over the course of the next two weeks, she tried her best to remind Tommy of all the good times they had had together. She made sure that she wasn't overly pushy, backing off when she felt it was too much, but pretty much being there by his side, being his friend. She set up outings for the two of them, under the guise of wanting to become a better friend and push past their breakup, but really she was simply building her case that he could move on and that they shouldn't have broken up in the first place.

Of course it didn't always work out. Trini kept giving her looks and she knew the other girl knew exactly what she was doing, but to her relief (and to be honest somewhat disappointment) the girl hadn't said anything or made a move to interfere. Kat didn't know if she was just confident that nothing would happen, or what. Tommy on the other hand, would look at her suggestions and outings with suspicions (a reason she would back off every now and again), but one thing he wasn't, was mean, so he would give in and take part, but he always did make it clear that he did consider their relationship over. Kat refused to give up.

But just a few days before Thanksgiving, something happened that changed everything.

~…~

It started as a normal day. The rangers were at the park, playing touch football and just relaxing.

"Hey guys," Tommy stopped and looked at his team. "I'm gonna head up to Ernie's for a smoothie. I'll be right back."

"Bring me back one!" Rocky yelled out, drawing a laugh from Adam and Jason.

"Get your own DeSantos!" Tommy replied back as he started walking away.

"I see how it is!" Rocky laughed, prompting Tommy to laugh as well, though the other continued walking.

While Kat and Tanya sat talking, Trini and the boys continued the football game. It wasn't until sometime later, that they realized that Tommy hadn't returned. Exchanging looks, the group decided to head to the youth centre.

"Hey Charlotte," Jason called out to one of Ernie's workers.

"Hey Jason," Charlotte smiled at him. "Smoothie?"

"No," Jason declined, "I'm looking for Tommy. Have you seen him?"

"No," the girl replied with a shake of her head, "Should I have?"

"He said he was going to stop by here for a smoothie," Trini told her.

"Sorry," Charlotte apologized, "Haven't seen him."

"Alright," Jason sighed. "Thanks anyway." He turned back to his team.

"Maybe he went home?" Adam suggested.

"Without telling us?" Kat frowned. "That's not Tommy."

"He could've forgotten," Trini countered. "Maybe he got a message from his parents or something."

"Still," Jason spoke up, leader and command in every aspect of his voice. "Better safe than sorry. We can stop by his place or something just to make sure."

Trini recognized the tone and touched his arm. "Jase?"

"I have a bad feeling Tri," Jason said.

Billy looked at him. "You think something's wrong."

The communicators chose that moment to start beeping.

They quickly headed to the hallway, finding an empty and secure spot.

"We read you Zordon," Rocky said.

" _Rangers," Zordon spoke, "The Machine Empire has sent down the noxious Cruel Chrome monster. You must destroy him before he uses his hazardous power on innocent civilians."_

"On our way Zordon," Rocky replied.

The ZEO rangers morphed and teleported to downtown while Trini and Billy teleported to the Power Chamber.

~…~

"Zordon we can't find Tommy," Trini said the moment her and Billy appeared in front of their mentor.

"Alpha can you lock on to Tommy's communicator and locate him?" Billy turned to their robotic friend and helper.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi right away Billy," Alpha replied as he walked over to the console. He tapped in a sequence, while Billy and Trini watched as the rangers fought the Cruel Chrome.

"Did you find him Alpha?" Billy asked.

"No," Alpha answered as he turned around. "I can't get a lock on Tommy's signal."

Trini and Billy exchanged looks.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Trini asked.

"Yes yellow ranger," Zordon replied. "I fear that Tommy may have been kidnapped by the Machine Empire."

"Oh no," Trini sighed, images of the last time Tommy had been taken by their enemies. The Green Ranger still remained one of their deadliest foes.

"The rangers need help," Billy said as he observed the viewing screen.

"What can we do though?" Trini asked, frustration in her voice. "None of us can operate the Zord or the powers."

Billy's eyes lit up and he quickly turned to Alpha. "Alpha, you can remotely pilot the ZEO Ranger V zord, can't you?"

With Alpha's help, the rangers are able to destroy Cruel Chrome.

Meanwhile, up in the Machine Empire's palace, Tommy woke up, only to find himself strapped to a table, surrounded by members of the empire. He immediately tried to fight, but to his horror, realized he couldn't get free.

Gasket entered the room with a malevolent chuckle and without saying anything, started the process of brainwashing the captured red ranger. The shouts of denials that filled the air made Gasket chuckle even harder and he watched with impassive eyes as the ranger continued to struggle through the process. Sometime after, the struggling stopped and before long, the process was complete. When the red ranger opened his eyes, Gasket took in the glowing red in the pupils and knew that the brainwashing was complete. It was time for the second part of his plan.

"Welcome my Emperor."

Back on Earth, the rangers have just defeated the Cruel Chrome monster when a hologram of Tommy appeared. Being the closest, Jason was immediately sucked into a vortex to the shock of the rangers.

"Jason!" Adam shouted as he took a step towards his teammate. Before he could go further, they were teleported out by Zordon.

"Zordon!" Kat immediately whirled on their mentor. "Why did you teleport us out? Something happened to Jason!"

"I know Katherine." Zordon answered. "I feared that the rest of you would be as well and unfortunately, Angel Grove cannot have all of its defenders disappearing."

Katherine was mollified, if only slightly, at her mentor's words. Having Jason and Tommy missing were bad enough, but if all of them had gone? That would've spelt chaos for Angel Grove.

"What are the chances that Jason is where Tommy is?" Rocky asked.

"50/50," Billy answered. "I don't believe the Machine Empire would make the mistake of putting our two best fighters together. I fear they might have something different planned for Jason than they do for Tommy."

"Or whatever they have planned for Tommy," Trini countered, a grim look on her face, "They'll also do to Jason."

Billy grimaced. "I was honestly trying not to think too much on that end of the spectrum."

"So what are we going to do?" Tanya asked, looking battle-worn and just a little scared. Both their leader and second in command were gone.

"We can try to locate them," Billy said, "but unfortunately, we'll have to contend with the fact that we might not be successful and will have to wait until Jason and/or Tommy manages to find their way back."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Adam sighed.

~…~

Hours passed and the rangers were no closer to finding their missing teammates and tensions were mounting higher. It wasn't any of their faults, they knew that, but nevertheless, it didn't stop them from being a bit snappy with each other. They kept it under control though, neither of them allowing it to escalate any further.

As it was, they were brainstorming a new idea, when the alarm went off and they all gathered in front of the viewing screen.

"Is that?" Rocky started.

"Jason." Trini breathed, dark eyes filled with emotion.

"Where is he?" Tanya asked.

"It looks like," Billy frowned. "some type of arena."

Kat briefly closed her eyes. "Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means."

The rangers watched as Jason faced off against a monster, one that introduced himself as Altor, thinking positive thoughts and cheering whenever Jason gained an upper hand, all the while feeling helpless in their inability to be by his side. The fight continued on for a while more until Jason was finally able to defeat Altor. The rangers and Alpha cheered, but their joy was short lived when they realized that someone else had entered the arena.

"Oh my god!" Kat gasped out. "Tommy!"

~…~

Gasket let out a growl when the gold ranger destroyed his monster. He hadn't thought the ranger capable of defeating such a strong fighter, but he was proven wrong and that was not something that he liked. It was time to implement the next part of his plan.

"Let's see how you do gold ranger when you have to fight against your own leader." Chuckling darkly, Gasket sent for the kidnapped and newly turned evil red ranger.

"You summoned me?" Tommy spoke as he entered the room.

"My Emperor," Gasket gestured to the screen. "I was watching the battle between one of our own and one of your enemies."

"My enemy?" Tommy questioned as he looked at the scene.

"Yes Emperor," Gasket nodded.

As Tommy stared at the dark haired boy in the gold shirt, a flash went through him and he took a slight stumble back. "No…not enemy…f-friend."

Gasket exchanged alarmed looks with his wife Princess Archerina and his mother Queen Machina. This was an unexpected occurrence.

"No my King," Gasket quickly spoke up. "This man is an enemy of your empire. He pretended to be an ally and then he betrayed you."

The words had the desired effect and they watched as Tommy straightened up, no trace of his stumble in his presence. "Yes. He is my enemy and must be destroyed. Send me to him."

"Yes my King," Gasket nodded.

~…~

Jason was exhausted after the battle was over, but he was more deeply relieved. Fighting one on one against an enemy was never really a good thing, backup was always great, and this one had been tougher than he'd honestly been expecting. He was glad the fight ended when it did and that he had managed to destroy the monster because he knew if it had gone on any longer, then he probably wouldn't have been able to defend himself much more.

But defeating the villain had given him a boost of energy and strength almost, the same way it always happened back when he first became a ranger and he felt, now, prepared for whatever else they had to throw at him; anything that would get him closer to finding his best friend.

He was not prepared to see Tommy appearing in front of him, morphed and ready to fight. He knew immediately that they had succeeded; that they had managed to once again turn Tommy evil and that unlike last time, it wouldn't be as simple as breaking a sword.

"Tommy," Jason called out, "What did they do to you?"

Tommy let out a growl. "You will address me as Emperor, traitor!"

Jason barely had time to think on the word "traitor" before he was defending himself from Tommy's sudden attack. "Whoa!"

Though he had been taken off guard, it didn't take long for Jason to bring the fight to a more even level. The two rangers fought against each other, one with the intent to kill and the other with the intent to save. In between bouts, Jason pleaded with Tommy to remember who he was, but Tommy was having none of it. The fight continued on, neither giving an inch.

"You're a strong fighter," Tommy remarked as he stood staring at Jason. They had separated to just a few feet, after the two realized that neither was giving up. "It's too bad you have to die for being a traitor. I could've used you in my empire."

"I'm not a traitor!" Jason yelled in response. "I'm your friend Tommy. This isn't you. Whatever Gasket told you, he lied!"

"He told me the truth," came the cold reply. "You're a fool and a traitor and must face death."

At that moment, the rangers, Trini included, appeared. While Trini was in her civilian clothing, the rangers were all morphed; they wanted to be prepared for anything.

Both Tommy and Jason were stunned.

"What are you guys doing here? How did you get here?" Jason asked, stepping over to his friends and teammates.

"We'll tell you later," Trini answered. "Right now we've got a red leader to bring back to our side."

"More traitors," Tommy shook his head. "No matter. I shall destroy you all just the same."

"Tommy please," Kat took a step forward. "Remember us. Remember _you_. This is not who you are. You're one of us Tommy."

"You speak lies!" Tommy countered, glaring at the blonde from behind his helmet. "I am not one of you."

"Yes you are," Kat shook her head. She demorphed as she continued speaking, reminding him of all the times he fought with them. Through it all, she kept getting closer—something Tommy hadn't realized but the rangers did—until she was in front of him. "Please remember." With that, she pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly to her body.

Tommy froze and the rangers watched with baited breath and rising hope that somehow the blonde had gotten through. He stumbled back, breaking the hold, and pushing Kat away from him.

"How dare you?!" He demanded, but his voice held a note of confusion, and he shook his head as if he was trying to shake some thought away.

"Because I care about you Tommy!" came Kat's tearful reply. She, like the others, had seen the head shake, the stumble and she hoped that it meant that somehow she had gotten through to him. "I love you."

Tommy let out a chuckle. "Love me?" There was no confusion anymore, just a certainty. "That is your downfall." He took a step forward, weapon raised to use against the girl, but Trini stepped forward. The brief confusion in his voice and the stumble as he pushed the pink ranger away had told her that somehow Kat had managed to break through the brainwashing; it was brief, but it had happened and it gave her an idea.

"And what about Kimberly?"

To the surprise of all those watching, Tommy came to a near immediate stop. "What did you just say?"

Trini took another step forward. She heard Jason say her name, but she ignored him. She was trusting her instincts. "Kimberly. You know that name, don't you Tommy?"

Tommy didn't say anything. She was wrong. He didn't know anybody by that name, and yet…something about it sent a wave of emotion through him. He _knew_ that name. Why did he know that name? _How_ did he know it?

The fact that he was just standing there and not attacking, gave Trini hope and she pressed her advantage. "Gasket and the Machine Empire may have brainwashed you into believing we're your enemies, but they couldn't take that. And you know why? It's because you and Kimberly are connected on a deeper level than anyone I've ever known."

"No," Tommy took a step back.

Trini took a step forward. "You may have forgotten us, but you can't have forgotten her. You _know_ that name."

"No." the weapon dropped from his hand as Tommy took a shaky step backwards. Flashes of memory of girl with brown hair and pretty brown eyes tore through his mind; a gentle and caring touch, and a smile that made him feel like he could do anything.

"Yes." Trini pressed. She was now standing in front of him. "You are not evil Tommy," she reached up and unsnapped his helmet, slowly removing it. "No matter what they've done to you, at your core you are a good guy." She stared into his eyes and beneath the red glow, she saw her friend.

Jason, ever the leader, took a step towards the two, morphing down as he did so. "The rangers need their leader back and I need my best friend."

One by one, the others demorphed as well, leaving them all in the street clothes. And they all encouraged Tommy to remember.

Trini turned to look at her friends before she focused back on Tommy, "if you don't believe me," she gestured to the now demorphed rangers, "if you don't remember them, then remember _her_. Believe what you feel when you hear her name."

"Kimberly," came the pained whisper.

"Yes Tommy," Trini nodded. "Kimberly. Remember all the good times you had together. Remember all your moments. They may have taken your mind, but this." She placed a hand on his heart, "This is not theirs. It belongs to Kimberly, to your Crane, and she needs you Tommy. She needs you to fight this and come back to her."

Everyone, rangers and Machine Empire alike, watched the scene in trepidation.

Tommy took a step back as a hand flew to his head. He let out a groan and fell to his knees, de-morphing as he did so. After a moment, he slowly looked up. "Trini?"

Trini couldn't stop the blinding grin, nor the relief. "Hey Flyboy, you with me?"

"I'm with you," Tommy answered and he allowed her to help him stand up.

The others immediately crowded around them. The reunion was cut short by the appearance of Gasket. "You may have recaptured your red ranger, but you are still trapped within my arena." A handful of monsters appear behind him. "And you made a mistake in showing up here and de-morphing. Now, you will all be destroyed."

At that moment, there was a flash of light. Immediately after, the rangers' communicators beeped.

" _Rangers,"_ Alpha's voice greeted them.

It didn't take long for them, and Gasket, to realize that the force field was down.

"How is this possible?!" Gasket demanded.

"We'd love to stay but," Rocky grinned. "Gotta go. Catch ya on the flip side."

With that, they teleported out, leaving Gasket to let out a scream of rage and frustration.

~…~

When they reappeared in the Power Chamber, Billy quickly moved to their side. "Is everyone ok? Tommy, you ok?"

"I'm fine," Tommy assured his friend. "And I'm me again."

"That is good to hear red ranger," Zordon's voice boomed.

"So how _did_ you guys get there?" Jason asked. "The force field was still up."

"Believe it or not," Adam answered, "but we have Zedd to thank for that."

Both Tommy and Jason were completely stunned. "What?"

The rangers told the two about how Zedd had contacted them and had told them that they'd be able to get them into the arena; but only into. It wouldn't have been enough to do anything else.

"Why would they help us?" Tommy asked, confusion colouring his voice.

"Apparently," Trini's grin was wry, "if Gasket destroyed the rangers, then the Machine Empire would rule and they would be in exile."

"So they weren't helping us," Jason raised an eyebrow. "They were just helping themselves; a better-us-than-them kinda thing?"

"Basically," Billy agreed.

Tommy sighed. "Well I for one I'm going to complain. If Zedd hadn't done what he did, I'd still be under Gasket's spell." He smiled at them. "Thanks guys."

"Aw," Rocky grinned before moving to pull his friend into a hug. "Bring it here. We love you too."

The others chuckled, but moved in as well to hug him. Kat though, stood apart, her blue eyes shining and a sad smile on her face.

 _(A few days later)_

Hearing his name being called, Tommy turned and became a bit wary when he saw that it was Kat.

"Can we talk?" Kat asked, almost hesitantly. "Please?"

"Sure," Tommy nodded and he gestured to the far wall that was empty enough to give them a sense of privacy. "What is it?"

Kat took a deep breath and let out. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm giving up; that I've finally accepted that we're over." When he went to speak, she stopped him. "No, let me finish, please."

"Ok," Tommy acquiesced with a nod.

"I was hurt Tommy," Kat continued, "hurt and angry that you were breaking up with me, because I didn't understand. I couldn't accept the breakup and I've tried to do things that would make you change your mind because I still believed that you and I deserved to be together. And then you got kidnapped by Gasket. Seeing you like that hurt me and I wanted to do anything and everything to break the spell over you. With all the love in my heart, I hugged you, and for a moment, I thought it worked. I thought, _'finally, this will prove that we should be together'_ but it didn't work." She let out a sad chuckle. "The spell broke, but it wasn't my love for you that did it. It was Kimberly and how you feel about her. Your love for her broke the brainwashing and when it did, that was the moment I knew in my heart that you and I were really over. I cried that night when I got home because it felt like my heart was breaking all over again."

Tommy had to interrupt. "Kat, you have to believe me when I say it was never my intention to hurt you."

"I know," Kat nodded. And she did know that. It wasn't in his nature to be cruel. She had been hurt and angry during the initial breakup, especially because she had felt that he shouldn't have started a relationship with her knowing he still loved Kimberly. But she'd had time to think things through and had accepted that he _had_ wanted to move on, or at least had tried to, even if it had been because he thought Kimberly had done the same. "It's not who you are Tommy." she smiled briefly. "It's one of the things I love about you."

"I do love you, you know," Tommy said. When he saw her sceptical shrug, he shook his head. "I mean it. My love for Kim may have broken the spell but it was you cracked it in the first place."

"Don't say that just to make me feel better Tommy," Kat couldn't contain the disbelief.

"I'm not Kat," Tommy assured her. "When you hugged me, I felt it. I felt how much you mean to me and that was what got through. You might not believe it, but if I didn't feel something for you, then that never would've happened."

"But you love Kimberly more," Kat concluded. It was a harsh truth, but one she was finally, slowly starting to accept.

Tommy wanted to feel apologetic, he really did, but he couldn't deny what was in his heart; not anymore. "Yeah I do. I tried to deny it, I tried to move on from it, but my heart belongs to Kimberly. From the day I met her, I've always been hers."

The words pained her, but Kat understood. "I know. And while a part of me wishes that you had come to this realization before we got involved, I can't regret our time together; brief as it was."

"And I don't regret it either," Tommy told her. He paused, thinking on what he wanted to say, to ask, but not sure if he really had a right to, but in the end, he did. "I know it's not…I mean, do you think, do you think we can still be friends? I really don't want to lose your friendship."

Her heart was aching, but she mustered up a smile. "Just…give me some time to work pass this?" she shrugged slightly. "I don't want to lose your friendship either, but, I just-I need time."

"Whatever you need," Tommy nodded. As the blonde turned to walk away, he felt the need to say something more. "Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you might not believe it," he said, "but you've come to mean a lot to me and your friendship is one I'll always cherish. You'll always have a special place in my heart."

"Same here," Kat replied. She gave him one last smile before walking away.

Tommy let out a sigh as he watched her leave.

"You ok, bro?" Jason asked as he joined him. He had seen the two in conversation and hadn't wanted to interrupt when he saw how serious they both had looked.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded.

"So what was that about?" Jason asked, looking in Kat's direction.

"Closure," Tommy replied.

~…~

Later that night, Tommy was sitting on his bed thinking about the conversation he had had with his ex-girlfriend earlier that day. He had honestly been surprised that Kat had approached for two reasons; one, because he knew she was still hurting from the breakup, and two, because he had been kidnapped (again) and turned evil (again) and forced to fight his friends (seriously, again). But he had been even more surprised by the topic of their conversation. He knew that Kat had still thought it was a mistake to breakup, and that the blonde was trying to change his mind, so he hadn't been prepared for her to not only admit it, but to that say she was finally giving up and moving on. But, it was the other part of their conversation that was sticking with him. Kimberly.

His gaze drifted to the side drawer, and he reached over and opened it, pulling out the picture that he had put away months ago when he had received the breakup letter. It was of him and Kimberly, taken during one of their many fun days at the lake.

"… _your love for her broke the brainwashing…"_

Kat's words rang through his mind. Yes, he had been telling the truth when he told Kat that she got through to him, but thinking of the petite brunette had surged all of his emotions to the forefront and had overwhelmed the brainwashing; the memories of Kimberly, of their time together, and more importantly, the love they held for each other, that really and truly broke the hold that Gasket had had over him.

His mind went back to the day he and Kat had broken up. He had admitted that he still loved Kimberly, and more importantly, that he wanted a second chance with her. And now, with Kat finally accepting their breakup and letting go, it felt like something was released; like he could finally move and do something. And he knew just what it was.

Trini was right. He and Kim belonged together, and it was high time he got his Crane back.

* * *

 **A/N 2:** Wow. So, explanation: this chapter was a bit of a struggle for me to write, well actually, Tommy and Kat's breakup and then the confrontation at Billy's garage was a bit of a struggle because I am not that kind of person in real life. I don't do angry confrontations that dissolve into shouting and insults. When I'm angry or mad, I get quiet and then I become passive-aggressive until my anger burns out, so writing that kind of confrontation was slightly challenging, so I hope I did a good job on it. What I really wanted to portray with that part of the chapter was the fact that despite being rangers (and thus a bit more mature than the average teenager) they are _still_ teenagers and there are emotions involved, especially when it comes to breakups and taking sides. I wanted to showcase their more teenage/emotional side and not too much on the ranger battle.

 **Chapter title:** after revealing the real truth behind the letter, _complications_ show themselves; Kat and Tanya are mad (rightfully so) at Trini for interfering; Kat's refusal to accept the breakup…and then you have the _clarity_ : Tommy makes up his mind and chooses a girl, Kat recognizes, acknowledges and accepts that her relationship is over, Tommy comes to term with his choice and makes a solid decision.

Thanks for reading. You know what to do.

 _Kila_


	3. From Clarity Comes Conflict of Interests

**Setting:** During ZEO and then through TURBO and TURBO: A Power Rangers Movie **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two friends back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 3:** From Clarity Comes Conflicts of Interests  
 **Chapter Word Count:** 11, 285

 **A/N:** new chapter! I'm not sure I liked this one too much, but I hope you guys do. Enjoy.

 **A/N 2:** to the guest who left the review on the first chapter claiming that Rocky blamed Tommy for the letter, I think you need to go back and re-read the chapter again because nowhere does it say that he blames Tommy for the letter; did it say that Rocky was disappointed that Tommy didn't go after Kim? Sure, but at no point in the chapter did Rocky put blame on Tommy for the letter. Also, chapter 2 is more from Trini, and to her, Tommy _did_ give up and if you had actually paid attention, especially during Trini's conversation with Jason, you'd get that she herself didn't necessarily agree with Kim not reaching out to her friends...but go off and gag I guess.

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _'Thinking'_

 **O.P.D.:** _Tuesday, 8th January, 2019_

* * *

After he made the decision, Tommy felt a sense of peace wash over him and that alone told him that he was doing the right thing.

' _I'm doing what I should've done from the beginning. I screwed up, but I can still fix this.'_ Shaking his head, Tommy knew though that he still needed to fully iron out the details of his plan; he knew what he wanted to do, and how to accomplish it, but there was more. And it started with his parents. First thing in the morning, he would talk to them and explain.

~…~

The next morning, Tommy sat at the kitchen table, watching his mother prepare breakfast. He shifted constantly, a nervous energy filling him. He had no idea how his parents would react to his request; he had hopes, of course, but he was still a teenager and still their son, and what he wanted them to agree to, he knew it would be difficult.

"What's got you bouncing around?" James Oliver asked as he looked over the paper at his son.

"Nothing," Tommy immediately denied. At his father's raised eyebrow, he capitulated, "Ok, something."

At that, Melissa turned around, turning off the stove as she did so and setting the plate of eggs and bacon on the table. "Does it have anything to do with our last conversation?"

James looked between his wife and son, confusion apparent on his face. "What conversation?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded.

"What conversation?" James repeated.

Tommy looked at his father, realizing in that moment that he didn't know about the letter or Kimberly. He looked up at his mother, his brows furrowed in confusion. He would've thought that she would've told him. His parents never kept anything from each other.

Melissa rightly interpreted the look and raised an eyebrow. "No I didn't tell him."

"Tell me what?" James questioned, his gaze swinging once again between his son and his wife.

Sighing, Tommy repeated the story he had told his mother.

"So, let me see if I get this straight," James said after a while. "Kimberly never met anyone else. Instead, she basically had a mental breakdown and rather than tell anyone, decided that the best thing to do was to lie and dump you in one of the worst ways with one of the worst lies?"

Tommy winced. "Well, when you put it like that-

"And then you decided to break up with Katherine," James continued, "A girl that hasn't lied to you and was there for you this entire time, just because you now know the truth."

"It wasn't fair to her dad," Tommy explained, or tried to. "I do care about Kat, but our relationship started on a lie." He stopped. "Ok, well not a lie exactly, but on false beliefs. Kim didn't dump me because she found someone else; she dumped me to protect not only me but herself and I can't blame her for that."

"But the relationship was over and you'd moved on," James pointed out. "As you had all right to."

"Only because I didn't have all the information," Tommy countered. He then frowned at his father. "I thought you liked Kimberly?"

"Don't get me wrong, I do," James assured him, "but she broke your heart once, good intentions aside, so how can you be so sure that she won't do it again?"

Tommy remained silent as he thought on his father's words. It was true that he had no guarantee that Kimberly wouldn't hurt him again, but, wasn't that the whole point of love? To have faith in someone? To trust them? What was the point of second chances?

"You're right, I don't know," Tommy said finally. "But what I do know is that I love Kimberly and I'm pretty sure I always will. Yes, she broke my heart with the letter, but I broke hers when I did nothing about it. I know Kimberly, and I knew, even then, that the letter was off and that it wasn't like her, but instead of listening to my heart, I followed my head."

"Not a bad thing at times," Melissa injected.

"No," Tommy agreed, "but every part of me knew something was wrong but I didn't do anything about it. And then, I tried to move on, I did, but dad, mom was right; Trini was right. If I was truly over her, then hearing the truth shouldn't have had any effect on me at all. The moment Trini told me everything, sure I was caught off-guard, but deep down, I felt relief. It was like something in me went, 'there it is. That's what was wrong.'" Tommy looked at his father. "My heart belongs to Kim dad. And I know, I _know_ that if it wasn't for what she went through, she never would've written the letter." He shrugged, "Besides, I did the same thing remember? Back in my freshman when I spent time at Uncle Sean's cabin? I didn't say anything to Kim then either."

"Ok, you've got a point there," James conceded. He did remember what Tommy was talking about; his son had been tired and near depressed and the only thing they could've thought of was to pull him from school and send him to his brother's cabin for a while. "So what are you going to do now?" James asked. "Last I checked, you were here and Kimberly is in Florida training."

Tommy took a deep breath. This was it. "I want to spend my Christmas break in Florida."

"You want to go to Florida?" James repeated.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, "Look, Kim and I, we need to talk, really talk, and doing it over the phone won't cut it. Not with this. We need to be face to face."

"Tommy," Melissa started. She was happy that her son had made his choice and that he wanted to give his relationship with Kimberly a second chance, but this?

"No mom, listen," Tommy cut her off before she could continue. "Kim, and I, we both screwed up; she didn't come to me to let me know she was hurting and I didn't question the letter. I just let it go, I let her go, without a fight. I don't know how things will turn out, but I have to try and I know that it has to be in person. If I don't, then I know I'll spend the rest of my life wondering 'what if' and regretting it."

Melissa and James looked at each other. They could see how important it was to their son, but still.

"Your mother and I will need to think about this," James said at last.

Tommy let out a breath. It wasn't a 'no'. "Ok."

~…~

Meanwhile, Emily was making her to the park to meet up with Jason. She hadn't spent much time with her boyfriend lately and it was grating on her nerves a little. She knew that things had been hectic with him, but he wouldn't tell her what was so hectic, nor what his volunteering was. It bothered her a lot that he was keeping something from her, something that his friends knew, and she didn't know how to broach the subject. Losing Jason is the last thing she wants to happen, so while a part of her wants to confront him, to demand what secret it is that he's keeping from her, the other part knows that that wouldn't be fair; she knows that everyone is entitled to keep secrets and if it's nothing that will hurt her, their relationship or Jason himself, then does she really have the right to demand he tell her everything?

Laughter drew her focus and she looked up. She saw Jason, along with the others. A part of her was a little miffed that they were there, but she had come to accept that they were his friends, and not only that, but they were all very close. And as she watched them, she knew, she knew that if she pushed Jason on whatever it was that he was keeping from her, if she demanded explanations and tried to force him to tell her, force him to choose, that he wouldn't choose her; he'd choose them in a heartbeat.

"Emily!"

She looked up at her name and saw Trini smiling and waving at her and she couldn't help but to return both. Having Trini's friendship and getting along with her was important to Emily because of the close and long friendship the girl had with Jason. Of course, it wasn't difficult. Emily actually liked Trini. The girl was fun to hang out with and had many stories about Jason that she never tired of listening to.

"Hi guys," she greeted as she joined the group. As she did so, she noticed that Tommy wasn't with them. She walked up to Jason and accepted his hug and kiss. "Hey.

"Hey," Jason smiled in return, easily slipping his arm around her shoulders.

"No Tommy?" Emily asked, looking from Jason to the others.

"He said he had to talk to his parents about something," Jason replied, "But we'll probably see him at some point today."

"So how long do I have you today?" Emily teased, referring to the amount of times her boyfriend had cut their time short, or she herself had had to leave.

"As long as I can," Jason grinned in reply, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Can I talk to you?" the question drew everyone's attention when they realized it came from Katherine and that she was talking to Trini. Said girl looked at the blonde for a few minutes, silently debating whether or not to listen to her, before she conceded.

"Alright," Trini agreed. After stepping in the blonde's relationship, she did owe her to listen. Although, if Kat did start in again, then she was not going to let it happen.

Jason frowned, as did Tanya.

"Are you sure about this?" Tanya asked, moving to stand next to her best friend, throwing a look at Trini as she did so. She was not forgiving the other girl for overstepping and interfering into Kat's relationship.

Kat smiled at her friend. "It's fine. Nothing's going to happen. I just want to talk, that's all."

The two girls walked off, coming to a stop a distance away from their friend; far enough to have privacy but still in their line of sight.

"What did you want to talk about?" Trini asked, some wariness in her voice.

"I wanted to apologize," Kat told her.

Trini had no idea what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this. "What?"

"The things I said to you," Kat pressed on, "the way I acted," she shook her head. "That wasn't me and I'm sorry."

"Katherine," Trini started, and then stopped, and started again, "Kat, you had every right to feel the way you did, to react the way you did. You didn't really know me, and here I was butting my nose into your business. Anyone would've reacted the same way. So, while I accept your apology, it really wasn't necessary." She paused, "Mine however is. I am sorry about interfering. But I honestly felt like I had to; Tommy deserved to know the truth about what really went down with Kimberly and what made her write the letter." A pause. "She talked about you, you know?" Trini revealed.

Kat was shocked. "She did?"

"Oh yeah," Trini nodded. "When she first got to Florida, she and I talked a lot. She was so proud of you, and so happy that you had chosen to become the pink ranger; she had every bit of confidence that you'd be able to do it."

Kat flushed from the words. That was not what she was expecting to hear; she was expecting Trini to tell her that Kimberly didn't like her, or that she regretted choosing Kat to replace as the pink ranger.

Trini stared at the girl in front of her and debated on whether or not she should reveal something that Kim had told her. "She doesn't blame you." At Kat's confused look, she went on to clarify, "you and Tommy. She doesn't blame you."

Kat frowned. "I find that hard to believe. Not even two months after they broke up and I dated her ex."

Trini shrugged. "If I was in the same situation, I would've blamed the girl, and you have to admit, if the situation was reversed, you would've blamed Kim. Hell anyone else would've, but not Kimberly. It's not who she is. It's one of the things I love and hate about her."

Kat bit her lip. She was filled with a sense of curiosity as to why her predecessor held no ill will towards her. "So why doesn't she?"

"I think," Trini's brows furrowed as she recalled Kim's explanation, "the way I understood it, is that a part of her was happy that it was you because you would understand better than any other girl what Tommy has gone through and being a ranger yourself, it wouldn't be as difficult to actually be with him because he wouldn't have to lie about constantly running off on you; you'd be there right by his side, helping him fight."

"A part of her?" Kat repeated. A wry smile fell on her lips. "So that means that there _was_ a part of her that does blame me."

"She's human," Trini shrugged, "When she first heard, sure she was angry and hurt; her ex's new girlfriend just happened to be the girl she chose as her own replacement on the team? Who wouldn't be hurt and angry? But she never really actually blamed you. She accepted it and moved on, or tried to at least. But I could tell that she still loved him."

"And he still loves her," Kat concluded. "I know that now. It's the reason why I told him that I was done trying to force him into getting back together."

"Really?" Trini was surprised. She had noticed that Katherine was doing a lot to get Tommy to change his mind. She knew that the other girl had been hoping that he'd realize he made a mistake and try again, but she hadn't expected her to just let it go. "What changed your mind?"

"You," Kat revealed, "and Tommy when he was kidnapped by Gasket. Watching Tommy break out of the spell all because you spoke to him about Kimberly. You reminded him about her; and how he remembered how he felt about her, how he _knew_ her even if he didn't actually remember her…it was the final blow." She shrugged. "After that, I couldn't go on lying to myself anymore. He loves her. He'll always love her and nothing and no one is going to change that. Not even me."

It was almost an instinctive reaction to reach out and gently touch the girl's arm. She'd done it enough times with Kimberly. "I really _am_ sorry Kat. Hurting you was never my intention."

"I know," Kat smiled and nodded. "Like I said, that moment made me think about a lot of things. Am I still angry that you butted into my relationship? Oh yeah. But, you were right; as bad as it hurts to let him go now, it would've been worse if a year down the line, Kim came back and they both realized how they still felt about each other."

Since they were being honest, Trini decided to do a bit of revealing herself. "There was a part of me that did blame you, that felt that you took advantage of the situation and that you broke the girl code. I thought it was pretty crappy after everything Kim did for you. And I didn't like you for it because Kim is my best friend and my loyalty is with her, always."

"I get it," Kat replied, and she really did. It was the same loyalty that Tanya had for her, that made her best friend be rude to her own predecessor and it was something she herself would forever cherish.

"I want you to know that I do like you," Trini continued, "based on what I heard from Aisha and Kimberly, you're an awesome person and someone I'd definitely want to be friends with. So," she gave a tentative smile, knowing full well that Katherine had all rights to reject her. "What do you say we start over? Get to know each other and be friends properly this time."

"I would honestly like that," Kat let out a soft breath. "Before all of this went down, I was really looking forward to getting to know you, but I admit that a part of me was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends _because_ of the weird situation."

"And then I did what I did," Trini added on ruefully. "Again, really sorry."

Kat let out a chuckle. "It's ok." A pause. "Well, not really, but I still get it, and I'm willing to move past it, if you are. So yeah. Friends. The right way this time."

Trini held out her hand. "I'm Trini and I was the original yellow ranger."

"Katherine," Kat shook her hand. "I'm the pink ZEO ranger; I took over for Kim when she went to Florida."

"Nice to finally meet you Katherine," Trini smiled.

"Same here," Kat smiled back.

The two girls shared a grin before turning to make their way back to their friends. Before they could get too far, they were stopped.

"Hey Trini."

They both turned and saw a young, dark haired male heading towards them. It took Trini a few seconds to recognize him.

"Ritchie?"

"Yeah," Ritchie said as he came to a stop from the Vietnamese girl. He'd always had a crush on her, and they'd gone out on a date back in freshman year but nothing had ever come of it. And then she had left for the Peace Conference.

"I'll see you Trini," Kat told the girl and then walked away. When she got to the group, Tanya immediately moved to her side.

"What happened?" the girl asked, eyes flitting from Trini to her friend and back. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Calm down," Kat let out a little laugh. "We just, we apologized to each other."

"Really?" Rocky raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why?" Tanya demanded, "Why did you have to apologize to her? She should've been the only one apologizing."

"We both had to apologize," Kat corrected her. "We both said some things that were out of line, and to be honest, I understand now where she was coming from. And, now that I've thought it all over, she wasn't wrong about what she said. Tommy loves Kimberly, he always has and he always will. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"But you and he," Tanya started.

"We were good while we lasted," Kat told her, "Would I have liked us to go farther? Definitely. But Tommy isn't meant for me Tanya and I accept that now."

"What changed your mind?" Billy asked, looking at his friend and fellow teammate.

Casting a quick glance at Emily, Kat hedged her answer. "It was the day Tommy ran into some trouble with those boys from out of town; the ones with the really stupid nickname…Gasket or something."

The others held in a smile at the cover story.

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "What about it?"

"I overheard the conversation he had and he was talking about Kimberly," Kat continued. "As he spoke about her, I could hear the love in his voice and it was that moment I finally accepted that he and I were over and that we would never be together. I had to let him, let _us,_ go."

"And you're ok with that?" Tanya asked, a sceptical look on her face.

Kat smiled at her friend's protectiveness. By god she loved that girl. "Yes. I am. Truly. And that's what Trini and I were talking about." A pleased smile came on her face. "We decided to try being friends again. The proper way this time."

"Well I for am glad to hear that," Adam sighed. "Having the tension between us sucked really bad."

"Agreed," Billy nodded.

"Who's Trini talking to anyways?" Rocky asked.

"Ritchie I think his name was," Kat told them.

Jason frowned as he watched the way Trini smiled at Ritchie. It bothered him for some reason.

"Ritchie?" Billy got a curious look on his face. "Oh! Now I remember. He and Trini went on a date during our freshman year."

Unnoticed, one of Jason's hands tightened into a fist.

"Maybe he's asking for a second one," Emily smiled.

They watched as Trini and Ritchie said the goodbyes, exchanging smiles with each other, before going their separate ways. Trini was still smiling when she joined them.

"Hot date?" Rocky joked, nudging her with his elbows.

"Maybe," Trini grinned, playfully pushing him away.

"Might have to give a talk before this _date_ ," Jason teased, though he felt anything but.

Trini's eyes narrowed. "No way. I don't want Ritchie to run away."

"Well if he runs," Jason grinned, "then you know he's no good for you."

Trini rolled her eyes. She's heard that response more than she'd like, both her and Kimberly. "I will punch you. And I'd make it hurt."

"And I'd help her," Emily added one, throwing a teasing smirk at her boyfriend.

Jason gasped and placed his hand over his heart. "My own girlfriend? You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am," Emily grinned, blue eyes sparkling with delight, "but not in this."

Jason threw a mock glare at Trini. "See what you did?"

"You deserved it," Trini sing-sang, completely unrepentant.

"So when are you going out with Ritchie?" Rocky asked.

"Next Friday," Trini answered.

"Excited?" Emily asked.

"A little," Trini nodded with a smile. "It's been a while since I've been on a date. I'm looking forward to it. And plus. Ritchie's a nice guy. I had fun the last time we went out." She would also have to call Kim tonight to let her know. If she found out from someone else, Trini knew she'd never hear the end of it.

The group decided to head over to the youth centre for something to eat, and ended up meeting up with Tommy on their way in, who had just pulled into the parking lot.

"Hey guys," Tommy greeted as he got out of his jeep.

"We were wondering where you were at," Adam grinned in reply.

"Just at home," Tommy said as they all made their way inside. "I needed to talk to my parents about something."

"Everything ok?" Kat asked, looking at her ex. She still felt the slight pull she always felt towards and she absentmindedly wondered when it would stop. Despite everything though, Tommy was still her friend.

Tommy glanced at her. "Everything's fine. I told them about the letter and our breakup. They were shocked, but pretty understanding."

"Well that's good," Emily injected as she heard his comment. "That your parents know and are understanding about everything."

"I know," Tommy nodded. _'I just hope they're understanding enough to let me go to Florida to fix things with Kim.'_

~…~

Later that afternoon, when Tommy arrived home, he was called into the living room by his parents.

"Sit down," James gestured.

Tommy did as he was told and looked at them. "So does that mean you've made a decision?"

"Yes," Melissa nodded. "We talked about it and then stopped talking about it. And then we thought about it and then talked about it some more."

"Tommy," James started, "you have to understand, this was not a decision to make lightly. It's not that our family hasn't taken vacations before, but taking a vacation simply so that our teenaged son can reunite with his ex-girlfriend?"

Tommy looked down. He knew that he had been asking a lot of his parents, and he knew they were right. "I get it."

Melissa bit her lip as she looked at her son. The heartbreak and resignation was clear to see on his face and her heart hurt for him. Their son rarely asked for anything, and when he did, it was usually for something serious.

"However," James continued, causing Tommy to look up at his parents with cautious hope. "There's nothing against taking just a normal family vacation in Florida, if we wanted to. And we do understand that this is a huge part of your life that did cause you a lot of stress and it is something that needs to be dealt with."

"What?" Tommy asked, looking from mother to father. "What does that mean? What are you saying?"

Melissa smiled. "We're saying the family is spending Christmas vacation in Florida, and if it so happens that you find and reconnect with Kimberly while we're there, then," she shrugged. "Just a happy coincidence."

Tommy's smile was huge as he thanked his parents. Now, all he had to do was talk to Zordon and the other rangers. He hoped that they would be just as understanding.

~…~

The next morning, Tommy teleported into the Power Chamber and looked up at his mentor. "Zordon, I-" he stopped, sighed, took a deep breath and continued. "I've made a decision but I don't know how it's going to be received by either you or the rest of the team."

"What is it Tommy?" Zordon asked, though he had a feeling that he knew what his ranger was going to say.

"I know that you know about everything that has happened over the last few months," Tommy started, "especially with me, Kim and the whole letter situation."

"I do," Zordon nodded.

"Getting the truth of what really happened from Trini," Tommy continued, "opened up a lot of things and made me realize the part I played in everything that went down between me and Kim. And more importantly, it made me realize that I still loved her. Kim and I need to talk, really talk, and until we do, I don't think my head is going to be where it's supposed to be." Tommy sighed. "I can't be a good leader if my head isn't focused on the battle or my ranger duties."

"I see," Zordon hummed. "And what is the decision you have reached to?"

"I need to go to Florida and speak to Kimberly," Tommy told him, "We need to sort this out and I can't be the ZEO red ranger or the leader of this team at the same time. This wasn't easy, but, to fix this, I need to give up the ZEO red ranger powers."

His heart was pounding as he stared up at his mentor, awaiting his thoughts on what was just said. Zordon could refuse him, he knew, and though he would hate it, it wouldn't stop him from going to Florida, to Kimberly. This was something that had to happen.

"And you are sure in your decision?" Zordon spoke at last.

"Yes," Tommy nodded. "There's no hesitation or anything Zordon. If I didn't fully believe I'd made the right choice, I wouldn't be doing this. I _know_ in my heart that this is the right thing to do."

Zordon couldn't help but to remember another ranger, one very dear to him, that had uttered those words just a year ago. He loved all his rangers, but Kimberly Hart had always held an extra special place.

"Very well," Zordon finally nodded. "I imagine that this was a tough decision to come to and I will honour your choice."

Tommy let out a deep, relieved sigh. "Thanks Zordon."

"When will you tell the other rangers?" Zordon asked.

"Now seems good," Tommy said, "I don't want to wait to say anything and telling them now will give them time to get used to the idea before I leave. Plus, we've already had enough secrets in this team."

"Understood," Zordon said. "Alpha, contact the others."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha nodded before turning to the console to do just that. "Ai-yi-yi-yi. This is all so confusing."

"Sorry Alpha," Tommy grimaced a little. He hated, just as the others, to put the little robot into that state.

It didn't take long for the rangers to teleport in. they were surprised to see Tommy.

"Hey Tommy," Rocky was the first to greet him. "What's up?"

"Is the Machine Empire acting up again?" Tanya asked, her brows furrowed with worry.

"No," Tommy shook his head, "Nothing like that." He nervously smoothed down his red t-shirt. "I was the one that asked Zordon to call you guys because I have something to say that you guys need to hear."

"Dude what's going on?" Jason asked, worry filling his voice.

"I'm leaving the team."

"What?!" the rangers were stunned.

"What do you mean you're leaving the team?" Adam asked, "Why? What's going on?"

"You're going after her, aren't you?" it was Trini who spoke and she had a smile on her face.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah." He looked at the others and saw the confusion on all except Kat, who was slowly realizing what Trini had.

"What does she mean?" Billy asked, "After who?"

"Kimberly," Kat answered this time.

"Are you serious?!" Rocky demanded, but the grin on his face belayed any harsh feelings.

"Wait what about the team?" Tanya cut through, her voice held an edge to it. "You're leaving the team to go after your ex, leaving us a ranger and leader short."

Trini threw a look at the dark-skinned girl, but said nothing. She wasn't in the mood to start anything, and in fact, she was feeling too happy to know of Tommy's plans.

"About that," Tommy looked at Jason. "When Zordon brought me back as the White Ranger, I took over leadership from you, and I think it's time I turned it back over."

Jason was stunned, but he wasn't the only one. "Tommy…"

"You were an amazing leader Jason," Tommy told him, "and that hasn't changed."

"But what of Tommy's ZEO crystal and powers?" Billy asked Zordon.

Tommy as the one to answer, "For right now, I think that the ZEO ranger V morpher should be put on hold until either I return or until Zordon can find someone else to wield them."

"Unless you'd want them?" Rocky teased, turning to Trini.

"No way!" came Trini's instant reply. "I did my time as a ranger and I was happy doing it, but that time has passed. What about Billy?"

"I can't," Billy told her, "Something to do with my molecular structure and/or physiology not being compatible with the ZEO crystals."

"So for now," Adam spoke up, "ZEO ranger V is retired? And Jason is our new team leader?"

"Unless he doesn't want to," Tommy turned to his friend. "It's totally up to you."

"It's ok," Jason said, "I'd like to do it, but-"

"But what?" Kat asked. Not that she had a problem with Jason being their leader; she was just simply used to it being Tommy.

"But," Jason sighed as he decided to reveal something he'd been keeping a secret. "I think I need to be honest about something."

Instant concern as all eyes turned to him.

"About what?" Trini frowned at him. "Is something going on?"

"For the last few days I've been feeling off," Jason revealed. "I've been feeling more and more drained, especially after each battle."

Billy's brows furrowed. "Like the powers are draining you?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. "It actually reminds me of what Tommy went through with the green ranger powers."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Trini glared at him.

"Because I wasn't too sure and I didn't want to worry you…any of you," Jason told her. He could see that she was still a bit angry, so he stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry Tri."

Trini let out a deep sigh and leaned in towards his body, allowing to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her into a half-hug. "It's ok. It's just…we already almost lost Kim once, we don't need to lose anyone else."

Jason turned the half-hug into a full hug. "Sorry." He turned back to Tommy. "Like I said, I'd be willing to take over the leadership, but I'm just not sure how long it's going to last, how long these powers are going to last."

"Well I think you should still do it," Tommy told him.

"So what are you going to do when you get to Florida?" Rocky asked Tommy.

Tommy sighed. "I don't know yet. I'm just glad I'm going, and that I'm going to get the chance to actually _see_ her."

"And what if she doesn't want to see you?" Tanya's voice had a bit of hardness in it. She still wasn't too happy with the breakup.

"It's a chance I have to take," Tommy shrugged. "I screwed up before, gave up on her, and I'm not going to do it again. This time, I'm fighting for her."

"I don't think it'll be that much of a fight to be honest," Kat smiled, surprising Tanya and the others, except Trini and Tommy.

"Kat's right," Trini nodded in agreement, "I mean, you might have to deal with some anger, and pain, but it's Kimberly. I believe in you Tommy, in both of you."

"So Tommy's giving up leadership to head to Florida to get back his ex-girlfriend and Jason's going to be our new leader?" Tanya questioned.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded.

"Is that a problem?" Trini asked, looking at the other yellow ranger with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all," Tanya shrugged. "Just needed clarification. I mean, I think it's pretty weird to ditch your ranger duties—

"Ok time out," Rocky cut her off. "I don't know why you're acting like this, but it needs to stop. Tommy isn't _ditching_ us; he's doing what needs to be done. You think he's been ok with the breakup and everything? He wasn't. But he basically pushed everything aside to continue to be the red ranger and this team's leader. For crying out loud, Tommy himself said that it was partly his ranger duties that held him back from going after Kim when the letter first came."

Tanya reared back in surprise. She had expected Trini or even Tommy himself to say something, but not Rocky. _'I shouldn't be surprise though, considering how he was basically on Trini's side when Kat and Tommy broke up.'_

Kat walked over to her friend, knowing that most of her anger and frustration was from protectiveness. "Tanya, I appreciate it, I really do, but I'm ok with the breakup and everything. Tommy and I, as well as Trini and I, have worked through our problems. We're friends, and a team, and we need to work together."

Tanya looked from Kat to Tommy to the others and back. "Ok, fine. I'm sorry Tommy. Kat's right; I guess I'm still a bit upset over the way Kat was treated, but I shouldn't be lashing out like this."

"It's ok Tanya," Tommy smiled at her, "No hard feelings." Honestly, he understood where she was coming from and probably would've reacted the same way had he been in her position.

"So when are you leaving?" Adam asked. He understood why Tommy was doing this; losing Kim had changed him and then to find out it could've been avoided? He got it. If it was him, he probably would've done the same thing.

"On the 18th," Tommy replied. "The week after break starts."

"Do you really believe you and Kimberly will go back together?" Billy asked.

"I know it won't be easy," Tommy admitted, "but yeah I do."

"Ok now back to another important matter," Trini interrupted, "What are we going to do about Jason and this drain he's feeling? If it is the powers, then how do we fix this? He can't take over leadership duties if his powers are draining him."

It was silent for a while as they all thought on Trini's words. She was right; if Jason's powers were draining him, then how could he continue on?

"We just need to contact Trey and have him come here," Kat said.

"Can we find him though?" Rocky asked, brows furrowing.

"Billy and Alpha can," Adam nodded towards the two. "The question is though, how long will it take to contact him and how long will it take him to come to Earth?"

"Alpha and I will get started right away," Billy said, "And hopefully, Trey will be able to be here soon, before Jason gets worse."

"And what should Jason do in the meantime?" Trini asked, "I mean, if the gold ranger powers are affecting him, then should he continue to use them?"

"And what does that mean for the team?" Kat added on. "Can Jason be the leader without powers?"

"I'm going to keep being the red ranger and leader until Trey can get here," Tommy said, "And I don't see why not? I mean, sure it'd be more ideal to have the leader on the field, but Jason can also watch the battle and talk to you guys on the coms. And it's not like the ZEO V zord can't be accessed remotely, so you'd still be able to form the megazord."

"True," Kat conceded with a nod.

"And I'm not going to tell you to not use the powers when needed," Tommy looked at Jason, "if only because I remember when I refused to stay behind while you guys went out and fought even though I was losing the green ranger powers." He grinned. "And plus I know how stubborn you are."

"Pot meet kettle," Jason grinned in reply.

The group shared a laugh.

After that, conversation drifted to mundane things as Billy and Alpha worked on getting in contact with Trey. Trini pulled Jason aside, grilling him about the effects of the gold ranger power that he was experiencing.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Trini hissed softly, not wanting the others to hear the conversation. "We're best friends Jason."

Jason felt a flash of annoyance. "Just like you told me about Kim?"

Trini felt the words like a slap and automatically took a step back, her dark eyes going wide with hurt.

"Kim asked me to keep it a secret," Trini replied, "and I would think, that you of all people would know that when Kim asks that you keep something quiet, that means it's important and you do it."

Almost immediately Jason felt regret for saying what he did. Hurting Trini was not his intention, and yes, while he was still hurt that neither her nor Kim had told him about what his little sister was going through, he knew Trini didn't deserve his words. And she was right; Kim asking her to keep quiet…for all that she was open and compassionate and friendly, Kimberly was pretty tight-lipped when it was something extremely important to her. So when she opened up and then asked that it be kept secret? No choice but to do so, no matter how much you disagreed with it.

"I know," Jason reached forward and cupped her cheek, "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was just my frustration still lingering over it. She's my baby sister Tri and one of my best friends."

Trini let out a sigh as she stepped back towards him. "I know. And really, I did hate keeping it from the others, especially you, but what else was I supposed to do Jase? I was afraid if I said anything to _anyone_ she'd shut down. As it is, Aisha was the only other person I could talk to about it, and I'm guessing it was only because we both knew around the same time. If only one us had known, then that one would've been the only one to know."

"But she had both of you," Jason finished.

"Yeah," Trini nodded, "And, she's already going to be upset that I _did_ break the promise and told Tommy. I mean, the others still don't know that she went through a withdrawal, but Tommy knows, and now you do as well. She is going to kill me."

"Or she might be too focused on Tommy to think about it," Jason countered.

Trini raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Really? I guarantee that when she sees Tommy, she'll be on the phone with me that same night. And don't think I don't realize that you've shifted the conversation from your own issues."

Jason let out a groan as his hand dropped from her cheek. "I hoped you wouldn't have noticed."

"Nope." Trini laughed and smacked his stomach, before getting serious. "Seriously though, do you really think it's ok to continue going out with the powers draining you? I get that you'd want to help, I really do, but at the expense of you getting hurt or worst? Or even one of the others?"

Jason sighed. "I know Tri, and I understand where you're coming from. But Tommy was right when he said I wouldn't be able to stay away. I wouldn't be able to see my friends in trouble, knowing I have powers, and not be able to help."

Trini gave a rueful grin. "Yeah…I know. Kim said the same about what happened back during the situation with Zedd having her power coin and Kat being in trouble."

"So we're good?" Jason nudged her playfully.

"Maybe," Trini smiled.

"Everything good with you guys?" Tanya asked, her eyes flitting between both. "Looked like an intense conversation." It had looked more than that to be honest. There had been an intimacy surrounding the two of them and she had to remind herself that Jason had a girlfriend and that there was nothing between he and the former yellow ranger.

"Just Trini making me feel like an idiot for not saying anything about the powers before now," Jason answered.

"Well no wonder that conversation didn't take too long," Rocky joked.

It brought a laugh out of the others and conversations drifted through topics as in the background Billy and Alpha continued in their efforts to contact Trey.

~…~

Later that day, Billy and Alpha finally got through to Trey and after explaining the reason for their call, the King of Triforia agreed to return to Earth to reclaim the Gold Ranger powers; he explained that it would take a few days for him to arrive on Earth due to having to make arrangements and the travel itself.

Now that they knew the truth, they were able to see the effects of the power drain on Jason, which unfortunately seemed to be getting worse, leaving Zordon to pass the decry that unless it was absolutely necessary, the Gold Ranger would not be partaking in any battles. Jason of course didn't like it, but understood nonetheless and agreed with their mentor.

So, for the next few days, most of Jason's time was spent strengthening his relationship with Emily, who was ecstatic at having her boyfriend around more often. It also meant that he was having to deal with the uncomfortable feelings he'd been having lately at the thought of Trini and Ritchie.

It's not that he wasn't happy that his friend was dating, because he was, but there was just something about seeing the two of them together that he didn't like. But that was probably just because he's known Trini their entire lives and was just as protective of her as he was of Kimberly.

"You ok?" Emily asked, pulling Jason out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Jason looked over at his girlfriend. "Yeah I'm good. I'm just thinking about Tommy." he lied. He was not going to tell her his feelings over Trini being with Ritchie. Even though he was just looking out for his friend, something told him it wouldn't be too well received by his girlfriend.

"What's going on with him?" Emily asked, leaning into him.

"Nothing much," Jason told her, "it's just, he's going to Florida for Christmas break, and he's planning on seeing Kim while he's there."

"Is he going to get her back?" Emily wondered as she considered the tricky mess that was the lives of her boyfriend's friends.

"He hopes so," Jason revealed. "He's not sure how happy she'll be to see him, but he's determined. And to be honest, I'm hoping it happens."

Emily rolled her eyes with a grin. "Of course you're hoping it'll happen." She laughed. "It's the most clichéd thing in the world; your baby sister and your best friend."

Jason tickled her side, making the blonde squeal in laughter. He pushed all other thoughts away as he focused on the girl in his arms and spending the rest of the day with her.

 _(The Power Chamber—Dec 5_ _th_ _)_

The rangers were waiting for Trey's arrival, and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long.

"Zordon," Trey greeted as he appeared in the room. "Rangers."

"Trey, it is good to see you," Zordon returned.

"Same man," Jason nodded in agreement, "though the circumstances kinda suck."

Trey took in the sight of the one he had gifted his powers unto. He saw the pale complexion, the exhaustion weighing down and the life force draining slowly but surely. He had arrived in time. "Time for pleasantries must take place later. I think it best we proceed with the reason we are here."

Jason and Trey got into position, and began the power transfer. Though it felt like an hour or so, the transfer didn't take no more than around ten minutes. When it was done, Jason staggered a little at the loss of powers, but still felt infinitely better. "Whoa."

Tommy reached out to steady him. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded. He straightened out and looked at Trey. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," Trey replied. "And I am sorry that the powers turned on you, however, I will be forever grateful that you chose to accept them in the first place as a way to keep them out of the hands of evil."

"Nothing to it," Jason waved his words away, "You needed help at the time and I was more than willing to give it. Even now, I'd do it all again."

Trey gave him a nod before looking at Zordon. "I have said it before Zordon, but you have extraordinary rangers under your command."

"As I have always known," Zordon replied with a smile at his rangers, who couldn't help to preen a bit with pride at both Trey's and Zordon's words.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Trey left the same way he had appeared, leaving the rangers to crowd Jason.

"So how does it feel to be normal again?" Rocky asked, stepping closer to his friend and now former teammate.

"Weird," Jason admitted, "But definitely better than last time."

"So maybe that means that the withdrawal might not be so bad this time around," Trini mused softly, yet her words were heard clearly by the others.

"Withdrawal?" Tanya asked, brows furrowing a bit.

"Something we went through when we gave up our powers the first time around," Jason told her. "Tommy went through it as well with his green ranger powers."

"So we'll all go through it?" Adam asked, looking from Trini to Jason to Tommy and back again.

"Possibility's high," Trini replied with a shrug.

Billy frowned as the words washed over him. There was something tugging at his mind. It took only a few more minutes before the proverbial bulb went off. "Kim went through one."

All eyes turned to him, but Billy was watching Trini, and Tommy. "That's why she broke up with Tommy, isn't it? She went through a withdrawal."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Adam spoke. "Kim broke up with Tommy around February and she gave up her powers since the end of summer before school last year."

Realization dawned on Rocky. "Yeah, but then she came home during Christmas and used the powers again."

"I'm confused," Tanya spoke up, "What's going on?"

Tommy and Trini exchanged looks.

"Yes," Tommy admitted, "that's the real reason for the letter."

The others were stunned.

"But how?" Kat breathed out, blue eyes widened in disbelief and some guilt.

Trini sighed, knowing that Kim would definitely be a little mad at her, before she revealed a basic gist of what she knew.

"How did we not know about this?" Adam asked, struck at the thought of what Kim had gone through. "Zordon, did you know?"

"No Adam, I did not," Zordon replied, "if I had, I would have made you aware of the situation and contacted Kimberly myself."

"Poor Kim," Rocky shook his head, "No wonder she dumped Tommy." He could imagine her going through losing the Ninjetti powers with no one there to help her and he could easily see how it would affect her to the point that she'd break up with Tommy.

Kat felt sympathy engulf her. To think that Kimberly had been going through all of that with no one at her side to where it got too much for her. Rocky was right; no wonder she broke up with Tommy. She probably felt like she had no choice.

Tanya on the other hand felt an enormous amount of guilt move through her. The entire time she'd been so angry at Kimberly, even hating her a little for what she did to Tommy and now to learn that she did it out of pain. Kimberly did the only thing she felt she could to help herself. Although, to be fair, Kimberly would've had the help if she'd only said something; she could've written to Tommy about what was going on instead of breaking up with him. And she said as much.

"And what do you think would've happened then?" Jason asked. He turned to look at Tommy. "I know you and I know that if Kim had told you then what was going on, you would've wanted to be there for her."

"Of course he would've," Tanya agreed, "She was his girlfriend."

"Right," Trini said, "and then Tommy would've been focused on Kim, to the point that he probably wouldn't have had as much focus on his ranger duties."

"Which could've led to something bad happening," Rocky concluded, "because if your head isn't in the game…"

"Exactly," Jason nodded.

"They're right," Tommy spoke up. "I would've been too worried about her and that could've led to mistakes; mistakes that we can't afford. Look how preoccupied I was these last few weeks and that was finding out the truth. If I'd known at the time?" he paused and shook his head.

Tanya could see their point, so she backed down.

Tommy glanced at his watch and let out a soft groan. "Alright guys, I'm gonna go. I have to finish packing."

"We'll see you later then," Jason said.

After giving a nod, Tommy teleported out.

~…~

A few days later, Trini was sitting in the youth centre, a smoothie in front of her, reading a book. Kat and Tanya were at the mall and had invited her with them, but she had declined. She had appreciated the invite though, knowing that Tanya still felt wary around her, not that she could blame the girl.

"Hey."

Trini looked up just as Jason sat down across from her. "Hey. What's up?"

"I thought you'd be with Kat and Tanya," Jason said.

"I would've," Trini told him, "but I was supposed to meet Ritchie."

Jason threw a look around. "Well he's not here."

"I know that," Trini laughed, marking her page and putting her book down. "He called at the last minute and had to cancel."

Jason held back the words he wanted to say. "I'm sure he had a good reason for it."

"Probably," Trini nodded, "So what about you? I figured you'd be with Emily."

Jason shook his head. "Nah. She went to her grandmother's with her mom. I think she had an issue or something, so they left this morning and are going to end up staying for Christmas."

"I hope her grandmother's okay," Trini asked. "So how are you holding up?"

"It's bad," Jason admitted, "but it's not as bad as last time. I think that the fact that I was already losing the powers had a bigger effect; in some ways, it's made this easier, because it's like now that I don't have the powers anymore, a weight has been removed. But then again on the other hand, the fact is, it _was_ draining my life away so I'm still feeling off from that."

Concerned filled Trini's eyes as she reached out and touched his hand. "As long as it's not as bad, and you know you've got me."

Almost on reflex, Jason flipped his hand over so that he was holding hers. He looked down at them, a soft warmth filling him. "Don't I always?"

"And you better remember that," Trini grinned, playfully smacking him with her other hand. "So talk to me. I feel like we haven't spent much time together lately."

One of his fingers tickled her palm drawing a laugh from her and making Jason smile. "Well of course. Damn us both for having a boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Oh well," Trini shrugged, pulling her back. She felt a bit weird about the brief palm interaction, though she had no idea why she should as it's nothing that they haven't done thousands of times before.

"Have you talk to Kim yet?" Jason asked, frowning a bit at the loss of her hand in his.

"Yeah," Trini nodded. "I called her the night you gave up your powers. She had to know that the others knew about what happened."

"How mad was she?" Jason asked.

"Surprisingly," Trini told him, "not as mad I was dreading. I mean, she _was_ a little upset that they knew, but she understood."

Jason nodded. "And did you tell her about Tommy?"

"Did you?" Trini countered, knowing that he himself had had conversations with their friend.

Jason shook his head. "No. If I had, she would've been too worried about it and might not put too much concentration into what she's doing. And you remember the last time she was preoccupied with something while going gymnastics."

"To be fair," Trini started, "that was mostly because of Zedd and his obsession with her."

Jason grinned. "Besides, I gotta admit I'm kinda looking forward to her reaction when she sees him."

Trini laughed. "Oh my god she's going to be so surprised! Then she's going to call and yell at me."

"Me too," Jason nodded in agreement. "But it's for her own good. For both of their good actually. They need this."

"Damn straight they do," Trini nodded.

"So what were you reading anyways?" Jason asked as he gestured to the book in her hand.

Trini turned the book so that he could see the cover. "Stephen King."

"Is it good?"

"So far yeah," Trini nodded, then shrugged with a smile, "but then again, I've always liked his work."

"I still think _Carrie_ is one of the creepiest things ever," Jason said and gave playful shudder.

"Well if people wouldn't bully others then they wouldn't have to worry, now would they?" Trini grinned.

Jason laughed along with her. Neither one was aware that Ritchie had shown up and instead of interrupting, had stood staring at the girl he liked and the guy she called friend, taking in the way they were together before leaving.

~…~

As the days passed, Jason's body started showing the effects of the withdrawal, minimal as they were, and the former Gold Ranger found himself seeking out his childhood friend for comfort. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others or even want to be around them; it was just that the last time he'd felt similar to now, Trini had been there, so it only felt right, natural, to seek out her company again.

To him, it was harder to watch his friends, his teammates, go out into battle without him being by their side and he finally understood how Tommy had felt the first time around. The upside was the more time he got to spend with Trini. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until they were hanging out, just the two of them. She caught him up on all the things that had happened after he left, few short months it was, and how Zack was doing; he had decided to spend an extra year in Switzerland, this time as an acting supervisor to incoming students. The other reason for him staying on was because he had met a girl from France and the two of them had hit it off.

He spoke to Emily a few times, but never told her about his growing confusion regarding his childhood friend. He himself still didn't understand why he was so bothered every time he saw Trini and Ritchie together. Concluding that it was simply a result of knowing Trini for so long and being protective, he pushed the feelings away and instead focused on spending time with his friends.

~…~

Soon enough, it was time for Tommy to give up his powers. Christmas break had already started and Tommy was leaving in a few days. The mood in the Power Chamber held a slight sombre air to it.

"I guess this is it," Tommy smiled as he handed over the morpher and crystal to Alpha.

"Man," Rocky breathed, "I still can't believe this. I mean, I'm happy because of why, but still."

"I know," Adam nodded in agreement. Tommy was the last one out of the originals that was there when they became rangers, and now, he was leaving. It was a bittersweet moment.

"You guys are going to be fine," Tommy told them, wanting to reassure his team. It hurt to leave them behind, to give up being a ranger and to walk away, especially since he had fought so hard for it in the beginning, but he knew that he was doing the right thing.

"We know," Rocky nodded, "but still…"

Kat let out a laugh. "What Rocky is trying to say is that, while we understand why you're leaving, we are a bit sad at you not being a ranger anymore."

Tanya looked away briefly. Yes, she was feeling guilty about her thoughts about Kimberly knowing what she did now, but she still didn't agree with Tommy giving up his ranger life. He was the red ranger and their leader and he was walking away. She got it, she really did, but seriously? They were only eighteen years old; they were going to graduate high school in a few months and then they were off to college. What high school sweethearts stayed together?

Tommy smiled, "Thanks guys. It really means a lot that you guys are okay with this."

"How do you feel?" Billy asked, wondering if, or when, his friend would start feeling the effects of the loss of power.

"Different," Tommy replied as his brows furrowed. "Normal? I know I've lost the powers, but it's not…it's not the same as when I lost the green ranger powers. I think because the ZEO crystals are the power source…I don't know, but I feel like it won't be as bad this time around."

"Well that's good," Kat breathed. She knew eventually that they too would have to give up their powers; they were seniors after all and only had a few more months left of school. After hearing what Kim and the others went through, she had not been looking forward to experiencing a power drain.

Tommy looked around at his friends, now former teammates. "Alright, well, I'm going to get going. Stay safe guys."

Similar sentiments echoed from the group and Tommy teleported out with a final smile.

"Man it's gonna be weird not having Tommy on the team," Rocky muttered.

"I know, right?" Adam nodded in agreement, "but we'll be fine."

"So what do you guys want to do now?"

"Ernie's?" Trini asked, "I'm actually kinda hungry."

The others agreed, and saying goodbye to Alpha and Zordon, they left the Power Chamber.

~…~

The day before Tommy left for Florida, the rangers were battling another of the Machine Empire's monster. Jason stood in front of the monitor and watched his friends battle the Machine Empire's latest monster. He could see that they were doing the best they could, but with Tommy now in Florida and him no longer having the Gold Ranger powers, the rangers were struggling with the loss of two members. His hands clenched into fists as he watched Rocky deflect a blow that would've sent Tanya reeling.

"Alpha!" Jason snapped out, unable to stay still any longer and not help. "Where's the ZEO V morpher?"

"Is that wise?" Alpha asked even as the robot moved to where the morpher was stored.

"You are still recovering from losing the Gold Ranger powers," Zordon warned.

"I know that but they need help!" Jason replied strongly. He turned and grabbed the zeonizer from Alpha and quickly morphed.

"ZEO RANGER V, RED!"

He teleported out, appearing in the middle of the battle seconds later, surprising both his teammates and the monster. He quickly got into the groove of the fight, eliminating some of the cogs that were surrounding Adam and Kat.

With the arrival of the red ranger, the tide took a turn for the better for the rangers. The team came together, working around and with each other as they eliminated the rest of the cogs. It wasn't long after that that Gasket set down a giant monster.

"Let's do this guys!" Jason commanded.

Quickly, the rangers formed the ZEO megazord.

~…~

Tommy was at home with his parents, doing one final double check. The TV was playing a low as he went around his room and did his final check.

" _And there's another monster attack here in downtown Angel Grove," a male anchor spoke, "the rangers have appeared, but it looks like—Sherri are you seeing this? Where there were six rangers, there now appears to be only five."_

" _Yes Jack I'm seeing it," Sherri spoke, "it looks as if both the red and gold rangers are missing. Did something happen to the two? And can the remaining rangers handle this monster since they are down two members."_

" _I don't know," Jack shook his head. "The rangers look to have their hands full. Nothing they're doing seems to be working."_

Tommy's attention caught, he stopped and watched the TV, heart pounding and hands curling into fists as he watched his friends fight against the Machine Empire's newest monster without him there. "Come on guys. You can do this."

" _Oh! And it looks like the blue ranger took a hit!" Jack exclaimed, "the Power Rangers are really getting their butts kicked!"_

" _It makes you wonder Jack," Sherri asked, "where_ _ **are**_ _the other two team members?"_

" _I don't know," Jack said, "but if they don't—Oh! The red ranger has just appeared, coming to the aid of the green and pink rangers!"_

A deep, and loud breath exhaled from Tommy as the relief rushed through him. Jason was there. He watched as the rangers fought with a renewed vigour as Jason joined the fight, and it wasn't too long after that they defeated the remaining cogs and battled the monster.

"The rangers saved the day again, huh?" Melissa commented, startling Tommy as he had been too into the news to hear his mother approach his room.

"Yeah, looks that way," Tommy agreed with a smile.

"All packed?" Melissa asked as she walked in and sat on the bed.

"Yep," Tommy nodded, "I was just making sure I didn't forget anything." His brows furrowed. "You guys have my passport, right?"

"Yes," Melissa assured him, "it's on the kitchen counter, along with mine and James'." A pause. "Do you have any idea what you're going to say to Kimberly?"

"No clue," Tommy sighed, "but I'll figure it out."

"Alright," Melissa stood up, "Well come on; I made a little something for us to eat until your father gets home."

~…~

"How does it feel?" Trini asked, "you're once again wearing your original colour."

She, along with Billy and the rangers were sitting at the park. The day before, Jason had taken up the mantle of the red ZEO ranger to help the other rangers.

"It feels good," Jason told her, "strange, yet familiar."

"Well I for one I'm glad you're back on the team," Adam said, "yesterday's fight was kinda brutal."

"I hear that," Rocky agreed. "It sucks balls when you're down a teammate." He grinned, "but now we're back up to five."

"Trini!"

The shout drew their attention, and they looked up to see Ritchie making his way towards them.

"Hey Ritchie," Trini smiled as she stood up and walked to meet him. "What's up?"

"Nothing really," Ritchie shrugged, "I was just wondering if you wanted to get a smoothie with me?"

Trini bit her lip. "Give me a second to see if these guys are doing anything?"

Ritchie held back the frown that wanted to escape. "Sure."

Trini gave him a smile and turned back to her friends, her eyes settling on Jason as she asked, "You guys leaving or you're staying here?"

"Why?" Jason asked, frowning at the duo.

"Ritchie wants to go get a smoothie," Trini said, "And I want to make sure I can find you guys after."

Jason stood up, "Why don't we all go to Ernie's? We can see if he needs help with Christmas decorations, while you and Ritchie can get smoothies."

"Good idea," Kat agreed. "I know Ernie did the Christmas pageant last year. Maybe he still needs some help for this year's."

Sounds of agreement came from the group as they all stood up, and along with Trini and Ritchie, started making their way to Ernie's.

This was not what Ritchie had in mind when he decided to come find his girlfriend. He liked her friends, he really did, but was it too much to ask to spend some time with her, _without_ them? Lately, it felt as if he wasn't dating just Trini alone, but the others as well. And don't even get him started on Jason; it seemed as if lately, every time he turned around, the other teen and Trini were together. He got that they were friends since they were babies, but still, some days it felt as Jason was Trini's boyfriend and he was just the friend. The friend that was intruding and didn't know all the ins and outs of their friendship, nor the group.

Even now. Sure, they were talking to him, but it felt as if he was included out of obligation and not because they necessarily wanted to hear what he had to say. And it still felt as if they were being careful about what they talked about. But that didn't bother him too much; what did, was the way Jason and Trini seemed to gravitate towards each other, and the way their hands gently knocked against the other. It seemed innocent, except all he could think was how he had done the same thing when he and Trini had their first date; it was the way you showed the other person that you wanted to hold hands, without actually saying anything.

Did Jason like Trini? Did she like him in return? What did it mean? And what did it mean for them?

* * *

 **A/N 3:** next chapter we are in Florida and Kim finally makes an appearance. How will she react to Tommy? how will things go between them? Stay tuned!

 **A/N 4:** Also, I know that in the show, Jason didn't actually lose his powers until the finale, but obviously, that had to be rearranged for this story. So, consider this episode Good as Gold. Also, are the chapters too long?

 **A/N 5:** another, sorry! I am now caught up to the pre-written chapters, _but_ I am already halfway through chapter 4, so I'm hoping it won't be too long before it's done. After chapter 4, I think there might be 2 or so chapters left

 **Chapter title:** clarity: things are a lot clearer now for the group regarding the whole Tommy/Kat/Kim triangle; Jason is clear about his issues with the Gold Ranger powers; Tommy is more settled about his decision. Conflicts of interest: Tanya feeling a bit happy for Tommy, but upset over him leaving the team; Trini and how she feels about Kim's reaction to Tommy; Trini's close friendship with Jason is bringing up conflicts in Ritchie and starting that for both her and Jason


	4. Conflicts of Interests Leads to Reunions

**Setting:** During ZEO and then through TURBO and TURBO: A Power Rangers Movie **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two friends back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 4:** Conflicts of Interest Leads to Reunions **  
Chapter Word Count:** 8,002

 **A/N:** it's been about three months, and I do apologize, however, I did warn that updates wouldn't be regular. Here's the new chapter. Just a little additional info; when I was working on this chapter, especially the parts with Tommy and Kim, the song _I Won't Give Up_ by Jason Mraz kept playing in my head

 **A/N 2:** also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed/favourited and put this story on alert. You guys are awesome!

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _'Thinking'_

 **O.P.D.:** _Tuesday, March 19, 2019._

* * *

Tommy and his parents left Angel Grove early the next morning, and arrived in Miami, Florida just over five hours later. After going through security and baggage claims, it didn't take them long to find a taxi, and soon enough, they were on their way to their hotel. They got checked in, which took a bit of time due to the fact that they were travelling during the Christmas season, and settled into their rooms; Melissa and James were in one, while Tommy had the connecting room next door.

As he stood in front of his hotel window, Tommy could see Schmidt's gym in the short distance. He felt a nervous thrum of energy dance through him. He had no idea how Kimberly was going to react to seeing him, or to what he had to say. He knew, and expected, some anger, but he wouldn't let it stop him. He'd already let her down once before, and he wasn't going to do it again.

He had gotten Kim's schedule from Trini and knew that she'd be at the gym until at least six thirty. He had plenty of time to prepare what he was going to say to her.

~…~

"Easy day today?" a young man called out to a girl practicing on the bars, her brown hair up in a ponytail.

"Is it ever?" the girl replied, a small and quick smile flitting across her lips as she walked across the bar. "Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"Took a break," the guy said as he walked closer. "You should take one too."

"Dylan," the girl sighed, "I just got here like maybe an hour ago. I don't need a break for another hour, two tops."

"How can you practice perfection Kimberly?" Dylan teased, blue eyes twinkling.

Kim rolled her eyes at the cheesy line. "I wonder how you managed to gain a girlfriend with those kinds of lines."

"Momentary lapse of judgment, I assure you," another girl replied as she walked by.

Kim laughed at the affronted look on her teammate's face. "You should see your face."

Dylan threw a scowl at the girl, "And yet, you're still dating me Jeanine. What does that say about your judgment?"

Jeanine paused, and looked at her boyfriend, head tilting to the side as a smirk played on her lips. "Hmm…you're right; maybe I do need to correct that."

"Hey!" Dylan protested, lips twitching as he fought a smile.

"I'm seeing more relaxing than I am practicing!" Schmidt called out as he walked through, "Get moving."

"Yes coach." Came the rejoinder from all three as they hurried to do as he said. Coach Schmidt was a strict one, but he was a generally fair coach, and most days easy-going.

After sharing a look with her fellow gymnasts, Kim resumed her practice on the beam. Her body went through the movements, but her mind wasn't completely, 100% there; instead, it was on the last conversation she'd had with Trini a few days ago, when her friend had told her that the others now knew what she had gone through. She had been angry, of course, because airing out her personal issues was not something that she honestly liked to do, especially to people she wasn't sure she could trust. Sure, she trusted Trini and Jason, a leftover of growing up with them, and she trusted Rocky who had remained her friend in the face of the breakup. But Katherine? And Tanya? Two girls, one she didn't know all that well, and the other she didn't know at all except by association? And Billy and Adam? Who in essence severed their friendship with her, which had hurt, especially Billy as she'd known him as long as she knew Trini and Jason. And Tommy? the guy whose heart she broke?

Tommy.

Losing him had hurt so much not just because she was losing an amazing boyfriend but because Tommy had also been her best friend, in ways that neither Trini nor Aisha was; same that they were her best friends in ways he wasn't. Losing that friendship had been almost as bad as losing the relationship. And she knew that ultimately it was her fault; if she had just told him the truth, told him about what she had been going through, she knew, without a doubt that he would've been there for her. But that, that was _exactly_ the problem; he _would_ have been there for her, but the truth was, Tommy wasn't just hers. He was a power ranger, and the leader to boot, and the team, the _world_ needed him more than she did. Letting him go, not letting him in and letting him help her was against what she wanted, but she knew that it had been what she _needed_ to do.

It was a choice she'd had to make, and though at the time she knew it had been the right one, it had still been tough.

A slight slip of her grip on the beam, had her refocusing back on the present and she shook her head to clear the thoughts away. What's done was done. All she had to do now was concentrate on her gymnastics.

~…~

The rest of the day passed by in relatively the same way previous days had gone. Practice had its difficulties, as was the norm, but all in all, at the end, it was considered a good day, and by the time six o'clock came around, near everyone was tired and just ready to rest.

"You coming Kim?" Jeanine asked as she stood next to Dylan, Richard his roommate, and Paula and Amanda, two other gymnasts and Kim and Jeanine's friends.

"Just a sec!" Kim shouted back in reply as she quickly gathered her gym bag. After making sure she had everything, she hurried over to her friends. The group was talking and laughing amongst each other as they left the building and as such, weren't paying too much attention to their surroundings.

"Who's that?" Richard frowned at the teenager standing a few feet away.

They all looked up at his question, and Kim froze completely when she saw who it was.

"Isn't that…" Amanda started.

"Tommy." came the soft reply from Kimberly.

"Wait," Jeanine spoke, "as in, your ex-boyfriend?" She looked at the boy and recognized him from the pictures that Kim had on her bedside table.

Tommy looked at the group hesitantly, before turning his gaze back to his ex. "Hey Kim."

Paula touched Kim's shoulder. She knew about the breakup and knew that it had hurt her friend and roommate to go through with it. "Kim?"

Kim shook herself and looked at her teammates. "I'm ok." She looked back at Tommy. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Tommy answered. "Can we talk?"

"I," Kim hesitated. Did she want to talk to him? Why was he here? Why now?

The others picked up on her hesitation.

"You know you don't have to if you don't want to," Dylan said.

"He's right," Jeanine added on.

Kim shook her head. "No, it's ok." Whatever the reason, Tommy was here and if he wanted to talk, after everything, the least she could do was hear him out.

"Are you sure?" Richard asked. He didn't know what went down between the two of them, but he liked Kimberly, and he wasn't going to let her get hurt.

Kim smiled at his concern. "I'm sure. You guys can go; I'll meet you back at the dorms."

"We can stay," Amanda said, not wanting to leave her friend alone just in case.

"It's fine," Kim assured her, "Tommy would never hurt me." She looked at her ex. "And besides, I was the one to end things between us. This talk is long overdue."

"If you're sure," Jeanine said, reluctance clear in her voice.

After reassuring her friends a bit more, the group left, leaving Tommy and Kimberly alone. Things were quiet between them, each of them in their own thoughts, and each knowing that they needed to talk, but neither willing to break the surprisingly comfortable silence.

"Hey," Kim greeted softly.

"Hi," Tommy's reply was just as soft as he walked over to stand in front of her. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Kim told him, "practicing is good, tough, but good."

"That's good," Tommy nodded, "but I meant, how _are_ you?"

Kim paused, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Why _are_ you here Tommy? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I am, but considering I broke your heart…" she looked up at him, "I'm a little confused."

Unconsciously, the two slowly started walking.

"I know," Tommy sighed. He then took a deep breath and released it. "I know the truth about the letter, why you really wrote it."

"I know," Kim replied, "Trini told me. But what does that matter? It doesn't change anything."

Tommy stared at her, not really understanding. What did she mean it didn't change anything? "It changes everything Kim! The entire time I've been thinking that you've met someone else, or that I did something or didn't do something, and then I found out that you were actually hurting?! And that you _lied_ about it!"

Kim bit her lip, "Tommy,"

"No Kim!" he cut her off. "Finding out that you were in pain, that you were hurting and that you kept it from us, from _me_." His dark eyes filled with remembered pain. "That hurt Kim. And I get it, ok? Trini explained your reasoning behind it, and I do understand but that doesn't make it hurt any less."

Kim looked away at the hurt in his voice. "I'm sorry Tommy, I really am. You have to know, hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I had to break up with you."

"Why Kim?" Tommy pleaded, "I understood what Trini explained, but I need to hear it from you."

"It was so bad Tommy," Kim started, "I just…" she trailed off, her mind pulling up the memories of her time when she had first gotten to Florida; the body aches, the crying, the fatigue, the depression. At first, she had thought it was homesickness, then she'd thought she'd picked up a bug or something. It had taken her a while to realize that she was actually experiencing power withdrawal as her body fully acclimated to being without ranger powers for the first time in nearly three years.

"It was worse than what you went through when you lost your green ranger powers," she continued. "And what made it worse was that I wasn't expecting it." She looked at him, "I thought, I thought that when Zordon cut my connection to the coin, that drain I went through, that experience, was it. But it wasn't. And I was not prepared. And then I came back for Christmas."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" Tommy asked.

"Because by then, I was fine," Kim told him, "and it was Christmas. I'd miss you guys so much, and I wanted to spend the time with you, enjoying myself and not focused on something that would've made things painful." She sighed, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "But hindsight and all that. I _should_ have said something. I never should've helped you guys with the powers without saying anything, especially as it was way worse when I got back to Florida in January. It was just…I was so bad off; between the withdrawal and training…I was just done."

"And you wrote the letter," Tommy's voice was soft. "Instead of telling me what you were going through, you broke up with me and with the worst reason of all; you made me think you cheated on me."

"I'm sorry," Kim whimpered, her voice clogged with tears. She knew that that would hurt him, but that was _exactly_ why she had chosen that reason. She had needed something that would make him let her go, something that she knew would not only hurt, but would hopefully make him mad; not mad enough to come after her, but mad enough to move on without questions.

And she told him as much.

This time, Tommy looked away. "You really do know me better than anyone else, because it worked. I was hurt, I was angry, and then I got over it and moved on."

"With Katherine," the words slipped out before Kim could stop them.

Tommy looked back at her. "Did it hurt you, when you found out?"

"Of course, it did Tommy," Kim swallowed, "hearing about you having another girlfriend was always going to hurt, but it was like an extra amount because it was her. I mean, I understand why it was her, and honestly, if it would've been anyone, she really was the best choice. But, it still," she paused, "she took over my spot on the team, and that was okay because I was the one that chose her." Another pause. "But then, _you_ chose _her_ to take over my spot in your life." She shrugged. "I was the one to break up with you, I was the one to end things, but emotions aren't always rational, and I was hurt; you replaced me with my replacement."

Her words were an echo of what Trini had said weeks ago, and it still made him wince slightly. That had never been his intention. Katherine was a great girl, and she had been a great girlfriend. She understood him in ways the others didn't, simply because she had gone through what he had. Despite their breakup, and how it came about, he cared for her and would always like her, even love her because she had been there for him.

"I'm sorry for that," Tommy told her.

Kim looked up at him. "I get it you know; we broke up, you moved on. I had, or _have,_ no say in who you choose to move on with." She paused. "Speaking of, does she know you're here?"

"Yeah she knows," Tommy replied, "everyone does. I told them I was coming to Florida to talk to you."

"And she's ok with it?" Kim's voice held disbelief. Considering everything between them, she didn't think any girl would be fine with their boyfriend spending time with his ex.

"She is," Tommy nodded. "She understands and supports why I'm here."

"Wow," Kim breathed, "I find it hard to believe that she's happy with her boyfriend spending Christmas with his ex."

"Well she is happy," Tommy revealed, "and she's not my girlfriend."

That stopped Kim in her tracks. "What?"

Tommy looked at her. "Trini didn't tell you?"

"No," Kim shook her head. She and Trini had talked, yes, but, other than letting her know that the others now knew the truth about what happened, their conversation hadn't really focused much on the rangers, especially Tommy.

"So, I guess she also didn't tell you that I quit the team," Tommy continued.

"What?!" Kim shouted in response. She grimaced briefly when she realized how it echoed around them and lowered her voice back down. "What do you mean you quit the team?"

"Exactly that," Tommy said. He then sighed. "After Trini told me everything, I started to think about everything. At first, I told myself, and her, that it wasn't fair for her to tell me the truth because I had moved on. But the truth was, hearing that the letter was a lie, that there was no one else, it's like it reopened all those feelings I thought I had closed off.

"Because I realized that if I had known the truth, if I had known what you were going through, then I would've been there for you; then you and I never would've broken up, we'd still be together. And when I realized that, I realized that as much as I had feelings for Kat, I was still in love with you, and I wanted a second chance."'

"What?" Kim's voice was faint as she tried to understand what she was hearing. Tommy still loved her? He wanted a second chance? What was happening?

"That's why I'm here," Tommy continued, reaching out to grab her hands. "Talking with Trini, and my mom, I realized that it wasn't fair to Kat to keep going when I still loved you, when I wanted a second chance to be with you. I broke up with Kat, which was hard because she was hurt—rightfully so—but I had to. I couldn't stay with her knowing what I knew. It's still you Kim. It's always been you and it's always going to be you."

Kim felt herself starting to tear up. This was not what she had expected. She had accepted, albeit reluctantly, that her and Tommy were over, that she had let him go and she had to move on. She never expected that he'd show up at the gym, or that he'd be saying all these things to her. Her heart pounded, and she ached with the fierce need to just move into his arms and let him hold her, to accept his words and to say 'yes', but, how could she?

"Tommy," she started. "I-you can't-this can't be real. You can't mean that."

"Yes, I do," Tommy responded gently. His heart ached to see the doubt and tears in her eyes, to hear it in her voice.

Kim shook her head and pulled away from him, taking a step back as she did so. "I can't deal with this right now. I can't."

She took another step back, and another.

"Kimberly?" Tommy called out her, his voice full of disbelief.

"I'm sorry," Kim answered back, tears spilling over, before she turned and almost ran to her dorm building.

Tommy watched her go with eyes full of sadness.

~…~

Kim stumbled into her dorm, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it, screwing her eyes shut as her tears fell. Walking away had been harder than she'd thought it'd be.

"Kim?" Jeanine's voice had her eyes flying open to see her roommate and two friends staring at her in concern.

"Are you ok?" Paula asked, "he didn't do anything to hurt you, did he?"

"No," Kim immediately shook her head, rubbing a hand over her face to scrub away the remaining tears. "I told you, Tommy would never hurt me."

"He's an ex," Amanda pointed out, "and you're crying."

"He's an ex because I was the one who ended things between us," Kim told her as she walked into the room to sit on the couch next to Jeanine.

"So, then what happened?" Jeanine asked, "If he didn't hurt you, then why are you crying?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kim recounted the gist of her conversation with Tommy. When she was done, the other girls were silent as they digested what they'd heard.

"Wow," Paula breathed out. She had no idea what to say. Unlike Kimberly, she hadn't arrived at the gym with a boyfriend back home. Her entire life had been gymnastics, which left very little time for any other relationship. There _had_ been a boy she'd really like, but when she had gotten accepted to train with Coach Schmidt, and having to move to Florida, she hadn't done anything about it because she knew it'd be too much to try and work on a relationship while doing gymnastics; especially a long distance one.

When Kimberly had first arrived, Paula had thought the California native was too hopeful and maybe a bit naïve, about having a boyfriend all the way back home, while she was in Florida, but as the weeks, then months went by, she had actually started to admire her fellow gymnast for being able to make her long-distance relationship work.

"So, he came to Florida because he thinks that you guys deserve a second chance at your relationship," Paula said, "he wants you back?"

"Yeah," Kim nodded.

Paula frowned, "So, then what's the problem? I mean, we know you still love him, and it's obvious he still loves you."

Jeanine shook her head. "Hold on, let's not forget that Tommy accepted the letter and never questioned it, and instead chose to move on with one of your friends; a girl you introduced to the group no less. Yes, I know the letter was a lie, but if he had loved you as much as he claimed, then why didn't he fight?"

She stood up and started pacing. "Aren't you mad at him? _How_ aren't you mad at him?

Kim looked up at her with wide eyes. "Why would I be mad? Why should I be mad? I'm the one that ended things."

" _Yes_ , but he's the one that chose to believe it!" Jeanine countered. "He was your boyfriend. You were in love, and he gets a letter from you breaking up and he doesn't even call?"

Paula nodded. "She's right."

Amanda pursed her lips. "Ok, wait, I get that, I do, but Kim did tell him that she met someone else. He thought she cheated on him. And on top of that," she turned to her friend, "didn't you always used to say that Tommy was like the best guy you knew? That he always tried to do what made you happy because it made him happy?"

Kim frowned. "Yeah." Although, hearing that statement like that made her sound as if she had been using him, when really, she hadn't. They _both_ tried to do what made the other happy.

"So," Amanda continued turning to look at the other two, "how can you guys expect her to be mad at him for not coming after her when by doing exactly what he did, he thought it was making Kimberly happy?" she turned back to Kim without waiting for a response from the girls. "He thought you met someone else, and maybe he thought that if he came after you, it would mess up your new relationship, and that you'd be unhappy."

Kim remained quiet, and out of respect, so did the other girls. It didn't take long for the three girls to leave for their bedrooms. Just before they got to their doors, Jeanine turned back. "No matter what, we'll support you, yeah?"

Paula and Amanda nodded in agreement, and Kim gave all three a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Kim remained in the common room for a few more minutes before she decided to head to bed herself. She went through her nightly routine before settling down in her bed and grabbing her phone. She dialled the familiar number and waited.

" _Hello?"_

"Why didn't you tell me Tommy was coming to Florida?" Kim demanded.

 _A sigh. "Because if I had, you might've done your best to avoid him and you guys needed to talk."_

"Trini," Kim started, but her friend cut her off.

" _No Kim," Trini said, shaking her head, forgetting for a moment that her friend couldn't see her. "You and I both know that you're still in love with Tommy, and he's finally admitted that he's still in love with you."_

"That doesn't matter Tri," Kim said softly.

" _Yes, it does," Trini countered, "it matters more than anything. Do you really think either one of you would've been happy, truly happy, with anyone else knowing that you both still loved each other?"_

"He was happy with Kat," Kim retorted, "And that's another thing; he broke up with her?! And left the team?! Why?"

" _For you Kim," Trini replied. "I know that you didn't want him to know what really happened to you, and if you feel I've betrayed your trust by telling him then I'm so sorry, but he needed to know Kim. He deserved to know. Did I thought he'd dump Kat and come after you? No, but I will admit it I hoped for it."_

"Why?" the word slipped out on a pained whisper and on the other end, Trini felt her heart hurt for her best friend.

" _Because when you're with him," she said, "I've never seen you as happy Kim. And he as well. When you were together, the two of you…you belong together Kim." She paused. "There were mistakes made on both sides, and if_ _ **all**_ _the information had been known, then things would be vastly different right now."_

"So, it's my fault?" the question slipped with a bit of a bite in it.

" _Kimberly!" Trini admonished, "You know I've never blamed you and I'd_ _ **never**_ _say that…ever. You were hurting, and you did what you believed at the time to be the best thing for you and no one can fault you for that…_ _ **no one**_ _."_

"I'm sorry," Kim apologized. She wasn't angry at her friend, and honestly, she had no idea why she'd even say that.

 _Trini's voice softened. "It's ok. I know you, remember? Now, here's what I want you to do; you now know that Tommy now knows the truth and that he wants a second chance. The question is, what do you want? I mean, really want? Tommy's in town for two weeks, I think, so take a few days and think things over. Just, when you picture your future, can you see it without him by your side? Most people spend their lives trying to find a love like what you have, are you really ready to let it go? To give it up?"_

"I already did, remember?" Kim told her.

" _And it came back," Trini said. "Just like the saying,_ _ **'if you love something, set it free; if it comes back to you, it was always meant to be yours, and if not, it never was'.**_ _You let him go, and now, he's back, wanting a second chance; can you really let it pass you by?"_

Kim didn't say anything to that, and Trini didn't expect her to.

" _I love you Kim," Trini said finally. "And whatever decision you make, I will stand by it, and you. You are my best friend, my sister, and your happiness is all I want."_

"I know," Kim murmured. A strong wave of emotion hit her, and she was beyond grateful for Trini and her friendship. She honestly didn't think she would've gotten through the mess life put her through without her, and then Aisha, by her side. "I love you too."

" _I'll talk you later, okay?" Trini said._

"Yeah," Kim replied. The two girls hung up after that, and Kim laid there, staring at the phone, brown eyes troubled.

~…~

A few days later, and Kim still wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do. She had taken Trini's advice and had kept herself away from Tommy, needing to think things over. Her gymnastics had suffered a bit for it, but after a slight fall and scolding from Schmidt for being distracted, she had pushed all thoughts of Tommy aside and had channelled her emotions into her practice. She knew she was avoiding Tommy in a way, but she couldn't help it. She still felt thrown by him being in town, knowing the truth and wanting another chance at them.

Tommy for his part, understood why she was avoiding him and knew where she was coming from, and instead of letting it make him angry, he decided to let her be; instead, he checked in with the others, and then spent the days with his parents sightseeing around the town. He had explained to them what had happened a few nights ago and his parents had been sympathetic to not only what he was feeling, but Kimberly as well.

Now though, he was ready to try having a conversation with her again. He didn't want to interrupt her training, so he spent the day at the hotel pool, just taking a breather and thinking about what he was going to say to her later that afternoon. He knew from Trini that this was their final day of practice before going on break as Christmas was only in a few days, and he planned to take full advantage of the time.

Later in the afternoon, when he knew that Kim's practice would be at an end, he told his parents where he was going and headed out towards the centre. When he got there, he got the attention of one of the girls he'd seen with Kim that first night. He watched as the girl said something to the group she was with, before walking to meet him.

"Is she still inside?" he asked when he was close.

"Yes," the girl nodded. "I think some part of her knew you were coming tonight because she told us to go ahead without her, that she needed a moment."

"Thanks," Tommy told the girl.

"Just so you know," the girl started, "I'm rooting for you. I remember what Kim was like when she first got here, and…I miss that girl." She sighed, "Well, go on. I won't keep you any longer. There's no one else but her inside, so you guys will have privacy."

"Thanks," Tommy nodded before he walked away. He entered the centre and his eyes sought out his ex-girlfriend; he found her on the balance beam.

"Hey," he called out as he walked over. He wanted to make sure that she knew he was there and that he didn't startle her into falling off the beam. He's had enough nightmares from the last time that had happened.

Kim looked up and stared at him for a few minutes before a deep sigh escaped her and just lightly jumped down from the beam. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you Kim," Tommy told her as he came to a stop just a short distance away. As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms, to hug her, he knew it wouldn't be welcomed.

"What else is there to say?" Kim asked as she turned to collect her stuff. "Yes, I sent the letter, and yes, you now know the real reason behind it, but nothing's changed."

"Everything's changed Kim!" Tommy insisted. "I still love you. I still want to be with you."

His words froze her. Why? How could he still want to be with her? How could he not be angry with her for being such a coward? For letting him go? For not trusting him to help her? Even worse, for the things she said in the letter? With those thoughts and more, Kim felt an irrational surge of anger fill her, forcing her to turn around and glare at him. "Why aren't you angry at me?!"

Tommy was taken aback and completely confused. Why would he be angry with her? What did he have to be angry about? "Kim…"

Kim shook her head, brown eyes blazing, and she pushed him. "I called you my brother! I told you I cheated on you, in a letter no less; why aren't you angry? Why aren't you yelling at me?!" By the end, she was breathing heavily, her chest heaving as the anger rushed through her.

Tommy was completely stunned. This was _not_ what he had expected her to say…ever. She wanted him to yell at her? For what?

Kim, as always, correctly interpreted his look, "How are you not angry at me? How can you stand there and ask for a second chance, acting as if _you_ were the one who screwed up, when it was me that did? I was the one that chose to write that letter. I was the one that ended things between us…the one that b-broke your heart."

A choked sob escaped as the tears finally spilt over, running down her cheeks in rivulets. This, this was the real reason she hadn't wanted to see him. Because she was a coward; she had run from him instead of trusting him to be there, to help her. She had put them both through so much.

And Tommy, felt his own heart crack. "Aw Beautiful…" he pulled her into his arms, wrapping them around her firmly but gently and let her cry into his chest. His own eyes filled up as he listened to her, but he didn't let go. He never could, even now, bear to see her hurting, and to know that she was blaming herself for what they'd gone through?

After a moment, he pulled away. "Kim, listen to me. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"Yes, I should!" Kim interrupted.

"No," Tommy countered, "Kim, for crying out loud, you had a breakdown! You were breaking apart at the seams and did the only thing, in your current state at the time, you thought was right for _you!_ You didn't do it to hurt me Kim, you did it to help yourself and I cannot, and will not blame you for that and you shouldn't either."

"I should've told you," Kim insisted stubbornly, "I should've just come home, and I would've gotten help from you, and the others, including Zordon."

"Maybe," Tommy conceded, "or maybe it would've gotten worse. Maybe being around us, around the powers would've pushed you further into an even bigger and more devastating breakdown, and then, we might've really lost you. _I_ might've lost you."

Tommy's counterpoint had Kim quiet as it wasn't something she'd thought of before, not really. What if she _had_ gone home? Would she have gotten better? Or would she have suffered even worse just being in close by to the powers being used?

"Getting your breakup letter was beyond hard Kim," Tommy continued, "it hurt, and it broke my heart yes, but I thought you were happy, which is why I talked myself out of coming after you. If I had come after you and brought you home, because I would've once I realized what was going on, then I could've made things way worse for you, and that…that I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself for."

"Tommy," his name slipped from her lips on a pained cry and without saying anything else, she easily and eagerly went back into his embrace, burying her face in his chest and cried. All the pain and heartbreak and anger, she cried it out.

And Tommy? He simply held her.

 _(Angel Grove)_

"How do you think it's going between them?" Rocky asked, looking around the group.

It has been a few days since Tommy had left and gone to Miami to, hopefully, make up with Kim. They'd spoken to him once or twice, but neither times spoke of any progress between the two.

"Good maybe?" Trini answered. "They're both hurting and there's stuff they need to deal with, but, I believe in them."

"They'll be fine," Kat said, her voice without doubt and filled with assurance, and it caused the others to look at her.

"You know," Tanya spoke, "it's really weird hearing you be so firmly on their side and pushing for them to work out."

Kat shrugged, but smiled. "I know, but I really did mean it when I said I really thought things through." She sighed. "Look, the truth is, I've always admired Kimberly and Tommy; seeing them together is what made me like him in the first place. I wanted what they had, and I really liked him. If you had been there to see them…" she shook her head. "Yes, it's weird that I'm a supporter now, especially after the way Tommy and I broke up, but I really do mean it. If I can't be with him, there's honestly no one else other than Kimberly who Tommy should be with."

Rocky shook his head with a chuckle. "He's like the ping pong ball between the two of you."

"Hey!" Kat playfully threw a fry at him, laughing when he caught it and ate it. "Tommy's not a toy."

"Damn Kat," Rocky teased, "Retract your claws."

"Just remember," Kat responded in kind, a smile on her face, "claws scratch."

"Rawr," Rocky growled, laughing half way through, as did the others.

"Hey Trini," Ritchie called out as he walked up to the group. There was a slight frown on the teen's face as he took in the sight of his girlfriend and her friends, especially when he saw how close she and Jason were sitting.

Trini looked up and smiled when she her boyfriend, but it slipped when she saw the frown, and she stood up. "Is everything ok Ritchie?"

The two stepped away from the group and Jason watched them go with a frown on his own face. He felt protective of Trini and wanted to make sure that Ritchie didn't do anything to hurt her.

"You know she's fine, right?" Tanya asked, interrupting whatever Adam had been about to say when she saw how their new leader was staring after Trini and Ritchie.

"Huh?" Jason tore his eyes away to focus on the yellow ranger. "Yeah, I know that."

"Doesn't seem like it with the way you're staring at the two of them," Tanya continued.

"Nah, he's just protective," Rocky grinned.

"He's always been that way," Billy added, "ever since we were kids, and that has not changed."

Jason flushed, but said nothing. Yeah, he's always been protective of his friends, especially Trini and Kimberly, but lately, he's felt extra protective of Trini.

"Hmm," Tanya hummed but said nothing else. Truth be told, she was starting to get the feeling that it was something more, but what, she didn't know for sure.

 _(with Trini and Ritchie)_

"Ritchie?" Trini questioned when the two came to a stop. She took in the way he looked way, the way his hands clenched into fists and the way he shifted on his feet. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

Ritchie looked at Trini, really looked at her. With her long, dark hair, beautiful smile and kind nature, Trini was so perfect. He really liked her; from the since freshman year, he's always had a crush on her, and that first time he had asked her out, he had been so nervous. They'd only gone out on a few dates, but nothing else had ever happened despite him wanting it due to her always running off, and then, she had left to go to Switzerland. When she had come back this year, he had been happy to see her and had hoped that they could start things again. That she had accepted his date, had made him happy, and what's more; she had stopped running off, dates were no longer interrupted. But then, things started changing; she started hanging out with her friends, specifically Jason. He'd watch them over the last few days, weeks, and saw a closeness between them, one that scared him.

"Is something going on between you and Jason?" the question was blurted out before Ritchie could stop himself. Yes, he wanted to know, but this wasn't how he had planned on asking her.

Trini was taken aback. "What? No! why would you—why would you think that?"

And suddenly, Ritchie's frustration boiled over and he was spilling everything he was holding back; his suspicions at the way Jason and she seemed to always be with each other, the shared looks and secret smiles, the closeness and attraction he could see between them.

To say Trini was stunned was understatement. She had not expected everything Ritchie had just said to her. Her and Jason? _Jason?_ One of her very best friends for as long as she could remember, _Jason_? How could Ritchie ever think that there was something between them?

"Ritchie," Trini started, then stopped, wondering what she wanted to say. "Ritchie, Jason and I are just friends. We've been friends ever since we were babies. Whatever closeness you see, it's because of that."

Ritchie shook his head in denial. "No. it's more than that. It's—

He cut himself off.

"It's what?" Trini pressed. "Ritchie?"

"There's something else there," Ritchie said, "I mean, yeah, I always knew you guys were close, but it's like something has changed over the last few weeks. Every time I see you, you're with him and you're pressed close together. Honestly? If I didn't know either one of you, I'd think you were a couple."

"There's nothing like that," Trini denied. "For as long as I've known him, Jason has been like my brother." The moment the word escaped her lips, she felt a mental recoil. But _why_?

Her words reassured him a little, but he pressed on. "Look at it from my view. It's like every time I turn around, I see the two of you together. And I know you've said that you're close only because you've known each for so long, but there's something else there Trini. There's something else connecting you, something that causes you two to share secret smiles and looks; it's like there's this part of you that you're hiding, and he knows what it is."

Trini bit her lip. She knew exactly what he was talking about; their ranger life. Being a ranger was one of the best things to ever happen to her, and it created a bond between all those who became a part of it. For her, Jason, Kim, Zack and Billy, it simply deepened the bond that was already there. But she couldn't tell Ritchie that that was what he was seeing.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Ritchie stared at her, seeing the hesitation and the hint of something on her face.

"I don't know what to tell you Ritchie," Trini shrugged.

"How about the truth?!" Ritchie shouted.

The yell drew looks from the other occupants, including the rangers, and Jason stood up almost immediately.

Ritchie saw it and a sneer flitted cross his face. "Of course. Scott to the rescue."

Trini noticed the looks, as well as Jason's movement. When she heard Ritchie's bitter words, she frowned. "I'm not doing this in here in front of everyone. Outside."

Ritchie wanted to say no. He wanted to demand she stand there and tell him that he was either right or wrong. But he knew Trini, and he knew if he did that, then she would shut down and he wouldn't get any answers at all from her. And he also knew that if he continued yelling in public, not only would Jason and the others try to intervene, but Ernie would as well; it was no secret that Ernie had a soft spot for Trini and her friends.

So, amidst the stares and whispers, Ritchie followed Trini outside. Almost immediately, Jason and the others followed as well. Some of the students made as if to follow, but a glares from the entire team stopped them.

~…~

"So?" Ritchie demanded the moment they were in the parking lot.

"So, what?" Trini returned. "The truth is, there's nothing going on between me and Jason. He's one of my best friends. And yes, that means that there are things between us that you won't know. And you have no right to know."

"I'm your boyfriend!" came the heated reply. Why couldn't she get that? They were dating. They were supposed to tell each other things, get to know each other better.

"I know that!" Trini snapped back.

"Do you?" Ritchie questioned as he started pacing. "Because it doesn't seem like you do. You're always around Jason and you're keeping secrets from, secrets that _he_ apparently knows."

"Just because you're my boyfriend Ritchie, doesn't mean I have to tell you everything," Trini countered, "And I'm not going to defend my friendship with Jason to you again."

"Just tell me what secret you're hiding," Ritchie said, coming to a stop in front of her.

"I can't Ritchie," Trini told him, her voice full of regret.

"Can't, or won't?" Ritchie asked.

Trini looked away. She understood his upset, but she couldn't do as he asked.

Ritchie scoffed. Movement caught his eye and he saw her friends standing a few feet away. It was obvious they were giving them privacy, but by the glare on Jason's face, he knew the other teen was waiting to see if he would be needed. It just sent a pang of resentment through him.

Trini could deny all she wanted that there was nothing going on between them, but he wasn't stupid, or blind. There was something there, and it wasn't just because they'd been friends since childhood; she was friends with Cranston too, but it wasn't the same.

"Then we're done," Ritchie said finally. "I can't do this Trini. I like you, I really do, but I feel like I'm competing just to be in a relationship with my own girlfriend."

"That's not true Ritchie," Trini denied. "I spend time with you, we go out on dates. I make time for both you and my friends. But it sounds like you expect me to put our relationship above everything else, and I can't, no, I won't do that. And if you can't accept that, then yeah, maybe we _should_ call it quits."

Ritchie would admit to himself that there was a part of him that had hoped she would say no, that she would fight for them, but he supposed that was only a tiny part because he wasn't surprised at all. Of course, she wouldn't choose them, choose _him._ He could fight it, but he won't. he'd given her an ultimatum and she had made her choice. It just sucks that it wasn't him.

"Fine," he nodded. "I guess it's over then." He turned to walk away, but then stopped and looked back at her. "I really did like you a lot Trini, and I honestly thought we could've gone beyond high school."

Trini took a hesitant step forward. "I'm sorry Ritchie. I really am."

Ritchie gave her a sad look. "Me too." With that, he walked away.

Trini watched him go with a sad smile. She was sad, and hurt, that the relationship was over because she really did like Ritchie.

"Are you ok?" Rocky asked, as he and the others moved closer.

Trini blew out a deep breath. "Not really; my boyfriend just broke up with me. After accusing me of a lot of things, including keeping a secret from him." She sighed. "And he's not wrong, not really."

"What else did he accuse you of?" Jason asked, a slight edge to his voice. If Ritchie had said anything unfavourable towards her, he would not let it go.

Trini looked over at him. Ritchie's accusation about her and Jason still rang in her head. She had no idea where it came from and had no intention of putting it out there.

"It doesn't matter," Trini shook her head. When she saw the stubborn look on his face, she sighed, stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jase, seriously, it's fine. It wasn't anything bad, not at all, just him seeing things that weren't there. He didn't insult me or anything."

Jason stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. "If you say so."

"I do," Trini smiled. "So, knock off the big brother routine."

Jason chuckled. "Alright, fine."

~…~

Christmas came and went with its usual fanfare; Ernie held the Christmas party and toy drive at the youth centre with the rangers pitching.

Emily returned two days after Christmas, eager to reunite with her boyfriend. While a part of her had been relieved they had the avoided the whole 'should we or shouldn't we' on gift exchange, she still hadn't anticipated just how much she would miss Jason, and the others.

She was sitting outside the youth centre reading a book and waiting for Jason. She was so into her book, that she was startled when one of the chairs at her table was abruptly pulled out and someone sat down. She looked up and was surprised to see Ritchie sitting across from her. Before she could question him, he spoke up, voice serious.

"We need to talk about your boyfriend and my ex-girlfriend."

* * *

 **Chapter title:** eh…I wasn't too sure about the title actually; I mean, there was confliction with Kim about Tommy, conflicts of interests because Trini wanted happiness for Kim but still didn't tell her about Tommy; then you have Ritchie and Trini and their relationship, Jason's influence and interest in said relationship; then the reunions aspect for Tommy and Kim, and for Emily being back home, which in turn leads to a possible conflict because Ritchie is butting in.


	5. Reunions Bring Revelations

**Setting:** During ZEO and then through TURBO and TURBO: A Power Rangers Movie **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two friends back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 5:** Reunions Brings Revelations **  
Chapter Word Count:** 9,982

 **A/N:** despite that I said updates would be sporadic, I do still apologize about the length of time since the last one. Truth is, not only did I get super busy academically and professionally, but this chapter fought me tooth and nail; so many parts were rewritten, deleted, changed around, etc., and it was just like whoa. But I pushed through all the rework and finally, finally, it's done. So, hope you guys like it 😊

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _'Thinking'_

 **O.P.D.:** _Tuesday, August 13, 2019_

* * *

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Jason and Trini? What about them?"

At that, Ritchie launched into his tale; he told her about his breakup, how he felt that Trini was keeping secrets from him, secrets he was sure had to do with Jason; he told her about how close the two of them, closer than they claimed, and he finished by voicing his suspicions that there was something more going on between the two than what they admitted. When he was done, Ritchie looked at her expectantly.

Emily shook her head with a little laugh. Jason had told her all about the break-up and how Ritchie had gone after Trini with ridiculous accusations. And now, here he was trying the same thing. She couldn't help but wonder though, what his game was; was he just trying to get back at her boyfriend? Was he just bitter over losing Trini? Well, whatever his game was, she had no intention of playing.

"I'm sorry," Emily replied, "but what was the point of you telling me this? To get me worked up? To get me to doubt Jason?"

Ritchie was taken aback. "Well, you have to admit—

She cut him off. "I don't have to admit anything." She then sighed. "Look, I know you and Trini broke up and you're probably upset over that, but I really don't know what you're trying to do here. Yes, Trini and Jason are close, but they've been friends since they were babies."

"So?!" Ritchie injected, "that doesn't mean anything!"

"Jason sees Trini as his little sister," Emily continued, "And Trini sees him as her older brother. There is absolutely nothing going on between them, and the fact that you're here saying this…" she shook her head. "I'm sorry you and Trini broke up, but I trust Jason, and Trini, and I'm not going to let dumb accusations ruin my relationship just because you want to get back at someone."

"Dumb accusations?" Ritchie repeated. "They're not dumb! There _is_ something going on between them, and you can believe or not. It's your funeral. I just thought I'd at least warn you so you wouldn't have to go through what I did."

"That may be what _you_ think," Emily countered, "but honestly, right now? It just looks like you're being vindictive. You and Trini broke up, and now you want to ruin my relationship with Jason to get back at him? I don't know, and honestly, I don't care." She stood up and walked away.

Ritchie stared after her, unable to believe it. He was trying to warn her; ok, sure, he could admit that a part of it _was_ because he wanted to get back at Trini and Jason, Jason especially, but more than that though, it was about sparing her what he went through. But whatever; if she didn't want to listen to him, then it was her funeral. She would get hurt, the same way he did, and a part of him couldn't wait to say, 'I told you so'.

~…~

A few days later, the rangers, along with Billy and Trini were in the park hanging out; the teens were talking about their plans to ring in the New Year in a couple of days when a monster appeared.

"I am the Agenator!" the monster shouted. "Your life is mine!"

He fired a blast at the rangers, who all ducked and jumped out of the way, though in the case of Billy, not fast enough; he was hit, barely, by the blast.

The rangers morphed and went to battle Agenator, while Billy and Trini hid away, getting ready to teleport to the power chamber. The two waited until the coast was clear before moving out of their hiding position.

Billy however, stumbled and fell to his knees.

"Billy!" Trini was panicked as she grabbed on to her friend.

"Trini," Billy panted, "I think there's something wrong."

Still panicking, Trini held on to him while pressing her communicator, teleporting them both out and to the power chamber.

When they appeared, she stumbled as Billy seemed to collapse onto her. "Zordon, there's something wrong with Billy!"

The former blue ranger straightened out and Trini gasped. "Oh my god!"

Her childhood friend looked at least ten years older.

"The blast from the Agenator seems to have caused a rapid age acceleration in Billy," Zordon surmised. "Alpha, you must warn the rangers."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi, right away Zordon!" the robot replied as he quickly moved to the communication console, quickly warning the rangers.

Trini and Billy watched as the rangers fought Agenator, doing their best to avoid the blasts from the monster. At one point, he disappeared, but it didn't take long for the rangers to find him; the screams of the pedestrians clued them in.

"Oh my god," came the horrified whisper from Trini as she took in the sight of the rapidly aged civilians.

The monster seemed a bit tougher than the normal garden variety, but as always, the rangers prevailed; after summoning the ZEO megazord and fight, the monster was destroyed. When she saw the civilians returning to their normal age, she breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Billy, only to freeze in shocked confusion.

Billy hadn't changed back.

He was still old.

~…~

When the rangers appeared in the power chamber, it was with the usual sense of victory, which quickly evaporated when they caught sight of Billy.

"What the hell happened?" Tanya asked the group hurried to their friends.

"He got hit by Agenator's beam," Trini answered, fear in her voice and on her face.

Rocky frowned. "But we destroyed Agenator and everybody else turned back. So…why is Billy still old?"

"I don't know!" Trini snapped out.

Jason immediately stepped up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, it's ok. We'll fix this."

Trini sighed, nodded, stepped back and then turned to Rocky. "Sorry Rocky. I'm just worried."

Rocky waved her apology away. "Yea, me too."

Kat turned to Zordon. "Why didn't Billy return to normal like everyone else?"

"That I do not know," Zordon answered.

The alarm sounded.

"What now?" Adam groaned.

The group turned to see another appear.

"What the hell?" Tanya asked. "What is this? A two for one day?"

Trini stepped forward. "You guys go. I'll stay here and help Alpha try to figure out something to help Billy, but those monsters need to be taken care of."

It was obvious the rangers were hesitant to go, but they knew she was right. In seconds, they were morphed and teleporting back out. Trini turned back to Billy and Alpha.

"We need to figure out what's causing Billy to remain in this state," she said, "Maybe there was some kinda interaction or interference."

As her words sunk in, Billy's eyes went wide. Trini noticed. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I think I know what's causing the interference," Billy answered.

"What?" Trini demanded. If he knew, then that means there was a way to fix this, to reverse it and get Billy back to normal.

And Billy told her; he told her all about the time when the rangers had been turned into kids by the Machine Empire, how he had ended up using his regenerator on himself to reverse the process.

"I think that my using the regenerator is what's causing the problem now," Billy finished. "When I used it to rapidly age myself from a child back to an adult, somehow, something got left over. So now, when I got hit by the blast by the Agenator, it caused some type of interference where I'm now aging rapidly and why I haven't reverted back to normal even when the monster was destroyed."

"Is that even possible?" Trini questioned with a frown, "I mean, that was months ago. Why would any type of effect be lingering around, only to be activated _now_?"

"Our powers change us on every level," Billy replied, "Look at what happened with Kimberly; look how long it took for the withdrawal to affect her even though she had already given up her powers for months before it actually happened."

Trini went silent as she realized he had a point. "Ok, so what do we do? How do we stop this interference?" she turned to look up at their mentor. "Zordon?"

"Maybe the Alien rangers can help Zordon," Alpha spoke up.

"The Alien rangers?" there was a confused look on Trini's face as she looked between the three.

"Rangers from the planet of Aquitar," Alpha answered.

"We met them maybe a year ago," Billy picked up. "It was after you, Jason and Zack went to the Teen Peace Summit."

"Ok," Trini nodded, accepting his answer, though her mind was whirling with the idea that there were _Alien_ rangers. _'I shouldn't be surprised though; I mean, both Zordon and Alpha aren't from here, so it stands to reason that there would be rangers from somewhere else.'_ "If they can help, then we need them."

So, while Alpha worked on contacting the Alien rangers, Trini turned her attention back to her friend. To her dismay, she realized that Billy had aged even more in the hour they'd been at the chamber.

"Billy," came the pained whisper. This had to work; those Alien rangers just _had_ to help. They couldn't lose Billy.

Billy returned the glance and seemed to know where her thoughts were going because all he did was give a sad smile. "I know."

By the time the rangers returned an hour or so later, Alpha had managed to contact the Alien rangers and explain to them the situation with Billy. When the rangers reappeared in the chamber, it was to the sight of a much older Billy, and the leader of the Alien rangers, Delphine, on screen.

"What's going on?" Tanya asked as she and the others de-morphed. "Did you guys figure out how to fix Billy? And who is that?"

Both Adam and Rocky recognized the Aquitian white ranger and greeted her.

"As I was saying to Alpha and Trini," Delphine spoke up, "I do believe that we can help Billy, unfortunately, there is an issue."

"What issue?" Adam asked. "If you guys can help him, then what's stopping you?"

Trini and Billy turned to look at their friends. Billy was the one who answered. "From what I've gathered, Delphine and the others do have the system to help reverse the process."

"That's great Billy!" Kat injected with a relieved smile.

"I know," Billy nodded, "Except, it won't work here."

The rangers frowned. "What do you mean?" Rocky asked.

"Delphine said they could help Billy," Trini explained, "but the only way to do that is for Billy to go to Aquitar."

"Ok, so what's the problem?" Tanya asked. "Billy goes to Aquitar, gets fixed and then come back."

On the screen, Delphine remained silent as Trini and Billy exchanged looks.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple rangers," Zordon spoke.

The rangers frowned. "What do you mean Zordon?" Adam asked.

"The truth of the matter is," Delphine spoke, "We can only speculate what will happen. Billy might have an adverse reaction, which is another reason why he is coming to Aquitar instead of us coming there and trying to heal him."

"Plus, there's also the time," Trini added on.

"The time?" Kat asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Even after we cure Billy," Delphine answered, "We will still need to monitor him for adverse effects; make sure that everything worked." She paused. "However, that is where the time situation comes into play; with Billy here with us on Aquitar, it could take a week on our planet to fix him, while also waiting to see if there would be any reactions."

Immediately, the others jumped in with exclamations of joy.

"No, no, no, no!" Billy interrupted. "Listen! It may take a week on _their_ planet, but that could be a month, two months, or even a year on _our_ planet."

The rangers went quiet.

"Now do you see where the issue is," Trini said.

"So, what are you going to do?" Tanya asked.

"The only choice I have," Billy's answer was soft when it came, though there was no denying the pain in his voice. "I have to go Aquitar, even if-even if that means—

He cut himself off.

Trini stepped closer and placed a hand on his arm. When he looked up at her, she nodded before turning to the others, more specifically, Delphine. "How soon can you do this?"

Tanya stepped out. "Wait, you're not seriously considering this, are you?" she looked around the others, hoping one of them would back her up. "Guys come on. This—

"Just stop it!" Trini cut her off harshly, stunning the yellow ranger into silence. "Billy is aging…by the hour at most. If we don't do something, then he's going to die. Do you get that? You think I want him off planet for months or years? Not knowing when we'll see him again? No! I've known Billy nearly my entire life and it kills me that this is the choice, but this is the _only_ choice. If Billy doesn't go to Aquitar, then he stays here and die. And I'm sorry, but I'd rather-" she bit her lip, tears filling her dark eyes, "I'd rather not see him again and know he's alive than to stand here and watch him die, knowing we could've done something, but we didn't."

Billy nodded in agreement, "She's right. I'm going. I _have_ to do this."

"Ok," Jason agreed. "Then we're doing this. But there's something else." He looked at Billy. "You need to tell your dad."

Almost immediately, there were protests, especially from Billy himself.

"Listen!" Jason snapped. "Billy is dying, and the only way to save him is to get him off planet and send him to Aquitar with the Aquitian rangers. You heard what they said; it could be a month or year. We don't know how long it's going to take. Do you really think Mr Cranston won't notice that Billy's gone for however long?"

At his question, a contemplative silence filled the air as looks of realization crossed the rangers' faces. Jason was right.

"He needs to know," Jason finished.

"I just don't want my dad to worry," Billy spoke up, voice soft.

"I know Billy," Jason agreed, "but this, this is different. If you don't go, you'll die, and what do you think is going to happen if we _don't_ tell your dad anything? At least this way, if anybody asks questions, he won't be caught off guard."

"Jason is right," Zordon spoke up, drawing the attention of his rangers. "Though I have implored you to keep your ranger identity a secret, exceptions can be made, and this is a case of exception." His gaze shifted to Billy. "Speak to your father, and if need be, I will allow him to be teleported here so that further explanations can be given."

"I'll go," Trini volunteered.

"It should be me," Billy protested.

"No," Trini shook her head, "Teleporting might make you age faster. We're not risking you getting closer to dying before we can actually save you. I'll go."

She gave a brief yet pained smile before teleporting out.

~…~

Nathaniel Cranston had just gotten out of his car, the garage door closing down behind him as he made his way inside. He was tired, and looking forward to just relaxing on the couch, with a good book.

He was completely caught off guard by the appearance of a bright yellow light just in front of him. When the light cleared, he was stunned to see Trini standing there.

"Trini? What the—where the hell did you come from?" he demanded, shock colouring his tone.

Trini took a step forward. "Mr Cranston, I don't have time to explain. I need you to come with me."

"Come with you where?" Nathaniel asked. "What's going on?"

Trini didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed his arm and then teleported.

~…~

Nathanial held back the scream as he and Trini disappeared in a pale light. When it cleared, he turned to the young girl who he has known her whole life, but stopped when he saw everyone who was in the room…including…his grandfather?

"What the hell?"

"Hey Mr Cranston," Jason greeted with a sheepish grin.

"Jason," Nathanial started, "What the hell is going on? Where am I?"

"Ai-yi-yi-yi," Alpha cried.

Nathaniel's eyes widened and his riotous emotions calmed as scientific curiosity took over. "Whoa…a fully automated robot." He stepped closer, eagerness to explore Alpha in his every movement.

Jason, Trini and Billy all chuckled. The words were very close to what Billy himself had uttered the first time they had met Alpha.

Knowing they were running out of time, the rangers quickly explained what was happening to Mr Cranston. To say the man was stunned was an understatement; he spent time touching his now apparently older-than-him son learning his son and his friends were the power rangers was one thing but hearing that his Billy was dying and the only way to save him was to take him off the planet.

Nathanial turned to look at the screen where Delphine was watching. "Whatever we need to do, but just give me an hour to pack some stuff. I can deal with everything else later; shutting off the electricity, the water…"

"Wait," Billy injected, "Dad, what are you saying?"

Nathanial turned to his son. "Billy, you're my son. If you think I'm going to let you go off planet by yourself, then you're wrong. I'm going with you."

"But dad."

"No buts Billy," Nathanial shook his head. "I'm going."

After that, the rangers made quick work of helping the two Cranston males pack essentials to take with them. And in no time at all, father and son were saying goodbye and being transported out.

The moment they disappeared, Trini let out a soft sob and turned to curl into Jason's arms. They had no idea if Delphine's idea would actually work, and on top of that, they had no idea if Billy would ever be able to return to Earth.

"He'll be ok," Jason whispered into her hair, arms pulling her into a tight hug. "Between them, Billy and Mr Cranston, they'll figure out how to fix him."

"But what if he can't come back?" Trini cried, "What if whatever cure they create can only-can only work on Aquitar? Then what? Billy can never come home again?"

"I don't-I don't know Tri," Jason replied, "All I know is, we gotta believe that everything will work out."

There was nothing left for the rangers to do, so they said goodbye to Zordon and Alpha and left to go home.

~…~

It has been a week since Billy and his dad had left to go to Aquitar. The new year came and went and instead of ringing it in with joy, the rangers had been subdued; losing Billy had put a damper on any sort of celebration.

Trini was currently at Jason's sitting on the couch; the TV was playing softly, but she barely paid any attention; her mind was focused on what had happened over the last few days. She and Jason had spent the days together, mourning the loss of their childhood friend. She knew that Billy wasn't dead, far from it, but this was still a loss; Billy wasn't just in another country or on another continent…he was actually and completely off planet. The others were close but, she and Jason had known Billy the longest; since they were in diapers practically, so they felt the loss a lot harder than the others did.

Being around him the last few days was comforting in its own way. They spoke a lot about their childhood, about their memories of Billy. It had brought them even closer and she found that they would often seek the other out just for comfort and companionship.

Jason came back in the room, drawing her focus out of the past and back to the present. "You ok?" he asked when he saw her seemingly deep in thought.

Trini startled a bit, but then shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "I'm fine; just thinking about everything."

A look of realization and then camaraderie entered Jason's eyes. "I miss him too, but hopefully, he's getting better, and he'll contact us soon."

"Hopefully," Trini mused.

Jason sat next to her. He wanted to bring her out of the sad thoughts of thinking about Billy. "So, did I ever tell you about the time mom caught me, Zack and Billy in her stuff?"

"What?" Trini turned a puzzled look towards.

Smiling, Jason relayed the story.

Trini couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. The image of Jason, Zack and Billy all dressed up in Mrs Scott's clothes, wearing her makeup was just too hilarious. No wonder the three of them had been weird when she and Kim had shown up later to play.

"It's not funny!" Jason scolded, or tried to, not wanting to give in to the laughter bubbling up inside.

Trini tried to speak, but couldn't, and instead just doubled over in renewed laughter, a hand landing on Jason's arm. "I can't-I can't-oh my god…"

Jason held her back as he finally gave in and started laughing as well. They would look at each other, and Trini would gasp out "the makeup" before she broke down again.

Their eyes locked and held as their laughter slowly died down. Without thought, they moved in closer until their lips touched. It was brief and sent a spark through both, causing them to pull back slightly, before they moved in to kiss again.

This time, the kiss went on for a few minutes before Trini suddenly remembered where she was and _who_ she was kissing. She pulled back and stared at Jason with wide eyes, seeing his own staring back at her reflecting the same confusion and wonder she was feeling.

"I-I have to go," Trini stuttered out, getting off the couch and gathering her stuff. She didn't say anything else as she quickly left, the front door slamming behind her. She fell back against it, a hand raised to her lips, unaware that back inside, still sitting in a stunned stupor from the intensity and emotions of the kiss on the couch, Jason was doing the same thing. The same thought running through both their heads;

' _What the hell was that?'_

~…~

Trini paced her bedroom floor as she waited for Kim to pick up her call. She needed someone to talk to. She needed her best friend because she was freaking out over what had just happened at Jason's.

She had _kissed_ Jason.

On the lips.

" _Hello?"_

"Finally!" Trini shouted. "Where were you?!"

 _On the other end, Kim gave the phone a look of confusion. "Uhm, practice? You do remember what I'm doing here, right Tri?"_

"You're right," Trini sighed, "I'm sorry. I just-I am freaking out Kim and I need someone to talk to."

" _Why are you freaking out?" Kim asked. Alarm infused her next words. "Did something happen to the rangers? To Billy? What's going Trini? You never freak out and you're starting to freak me out because you're freaking out."_

"Jason and I kissed!" Trini blurted out, unable to keep it in any longer.

 _Kim was shocked silent. This was_ _ **not**_ _what she had been expecting Trini to say._

There was silence on the phone for so long that Trini thought her friend had hung up. "Kim?"

" _I'm here," Kim answered, "Did-did you just…did you just say that you and Jason_ _ **kissed**_ _? Wha-ho-wha-when did this happen?_ _ **How**_ _did that happen?"_

Trini groaned as she dropped down to sit on her bed. "It happened tonight. Jase and I were talking, you know? About Billy and when we were kids and he told me this memory and we started laughing, and then, the next thing I know, we're kissing."

" _What memory?" Kim asked, but then she brushed it away, "Wait, not important; what happened after that?"_

"I pulled away and then I just…left," Trini told her, "came home and called you."

 _Kim remained quiet for a few minutes, still in some shock over the fact that_ _ **Jason**_ _and_ _ **Trini**_ _had kissed. "So, how was it?"_

Trini bit her lip as she recalled the spark she had felt, but more than that, "It felt right. When we kissed, I felt this spark, and I know that Jason felt it too. And then we kissed again, longer this time, and it was intense and amazing, and I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it. He's such a good kisser! He does this thing with his tongue—

" _Oh! Eww, eww, eww," Kim cut her off. "I know I asked, but Jason's like my big brother and I don't want to hear about his_ _ **tongue**_ _doing anything Tri!"_

Trini couldn't help the laugh. "Sorry Kim."

" _Good, as long as we're clear," Kim giggled briefly._

"We're clear," Trini smiled.

" _So, do you have feelings for him?" Kim asked after a moment, "Or was it just an 'in the moment' kind of thing?"_

Trini sighed as she started twirling the curled phone cord around her fingers. "I don't know. I mean, I've never thought about Jason like that before, you know? But there's been moments where we hugged or held hands or he's touched me and I felt a tingle or a warm feeling, but I always just brushed it off. But now, with that kiss…" she trailed off for a moment, recalling how it felt as if her body had lit up during the kiss, as if something had slid into place.

" _But now?" Kim prompted._

"But now," Trini continued, "I don't know. I keep thinking about the kiss and about how it felt, how _I_ felt, and I wonder, why weren't we doing this before?"

" _Probably because you were still dating Ritchie and he has a girlfriend," Kim mused._

Trini's eyes went wide. "Shit! Emily." She fell back across her bed with a groan. "I can't believe this. I kissed Jason…Emily's boyfriend. Oh my god."

" _Trini," Kim started._

"What was I thinking?" Trini continued to speak, not really hearing her friend, "This is gonna hurt her and I don't want to do that. She's such a nice person, and I really actually like her. I'm dead." Her voice softened, "I really didn't mean for this to happen Kim."

" _I know you didn't," Kim agreed. "But it happened. So, what are you going to do?"_

Trini bit her lip. That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? did she ignore it? pretend it didn't happen? "I honestly don't know."

 _On the other end, Kim felt for her friend. "Well, I think you kinda need to figure that out. You and Jase kissed Trini, and you said you felt something. And that means something. And I think," she hesitated, knowing that what she was going to say next might seem hypocritical considering what she had done to her own relationship, but, "I think you and Jase need to talk to each other because that kiss has changed a lot."_

~…~

There was something weird going on.

That was the thought that kept returning to Emily's mind.

First, it had been the fact that Jason and his friends had, for the last few days—week really—been quiet. But then she learned that Billy had apparently left town with his father due to a sudden sickness and the quietness made sense.

But then there was the strangeness from Jason. It's not that he was avoiding her, but she could tell that there was something bothering him because he was a little distant from her. And even more worrying was the air of awkwardness between he and Trini.

Whenever the two friends were together, they either avoided each other's eyes, or the interaction was just…plain awkward; as if something happened and neither one of them knew how to deal with it, so they just stuttered and fumbled around each other.

She would've thought it was all in her head, but she had also seen the look that Tanya had been giving the two of them as well, and so she knew, she _knew,_ that it wasn't just her.

Something was up.

"Is something going on between you and Trini?" Emily asked Jason while she and he were hanging out. It was one of the few times they weren't with his friends and she was happy, but she honestly couldn't enjoy it because she just _knew_ something was off.

Jason startled. _'Did she know?'_ "What? Why would you ask that?"

"Because it's like there's this awkwardness to the two of you, as if you can't bear to be around each other," Emily answered.

Jason held back a sigh, and that flash of panic. She didn't actually know that he had kissed Trini, and he wasn't sure how he could tell her either. "It's nothing. Really. Just…something stupid, but we'll get past it."

Emily's brows furrowed. "Did you guys have an argument or something?"

"Something like that," Jason muttered.

Emily accepted his answer, but she couldn't let it go. Something still wasn't sitting right. "Is that why you've been pulling away from me?"

Jason frowned at her. "I have?"

"Yeah Jason," Emily huffed, "you have; it's like, we're together, but, you're not _there_." She frowned thoughtfully at her boyfriend. "What's going on with you? It's more than just a fight with Trini, isn't it? Something else is bothering you. Talk to me Jason."

Jason shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to do that."

"It's ok," Emily started, "Ok, it's not ok, but still. I'm your girlfriend Jason. You can talk to me."

' _I know, but I can't tell you I kissed Trini and that I think I might have feelings for her.'_ "It's just the fight with Trini, but don't worry."

When he saw she was still frowning, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him, and then he kissed her briefly. "Really. Everything's fine."

He hugged her, hoping that everything really would be fine, but knowing it wouldn't be because he still couldn't stop thinking about the kiss.

Hugging him tightly, Emily let Jason's words sink in, but despite his reassurance, she still couldn't stop the spike of worry and that nagging feeling that he still wasn't telling her everything.

She needed to talk to Trini.

~…~

Trini moved around her living room, deep in thought as she cleaned up. Her parents were gone for the day, out at work, and wouldn't be back until late in the evening. She was at home by herself until then, or if she decided to go to the youth centre or to the Power Chamber.

Her mind was filled with the kiss with the Jason, the talk she had had with Kim, and the avoidance she had been pulling. She knew that she and Jason needed to talk, Kim had also said as much, but she couldn't. She wasn't afraid to admit she was terrified out of her mind of how the conversation would go.

She'd known Jason her whole life. He was one of her best friends, a constant, and now that kiss had put him in the category of _more_.

 _Ding dong_

"I'm coming!" she called out as she made her way to the door. She froze when she saw Emily on the other side. "Emily?!"

Emily's blank face greeted her surprise. "Can I come in?"

For a moment, just a moment, Trini thought about saying no, but she didn't because truthfully, she owed her the time. So, she stepped back and waved her on. "Sure."

Closing the door behind the blonde, Trini took a deep breath to settle her nerves, and only when she felt she was not as panicky, did she turn around. Seeing that Emily had taken up the one-seater, she moved to drop down onto the couch.

"So," Trini spoke up, not knowing how to start the conversation.

"I'm going to ask you something and I really hope you're honest with me," Emily cut her off, "that you respect me enough to not lie."

"Ok," Trini nodded. She could feel her heart started to beat faster, almost a pounding staccato.

"Did something happen between you and Jason?"

Trini's eyes went wide and for a moment, she didn't answer. But then, she sighed, her body almost folding in on itself and she rubbed a hand over her face.

Emily closed her eyes in pain. Trini may not have _said_ anything, but that reaction was an answer in and of itself. "What happened?"

"We kissed," Trini admitted, and then she rushed on to explain, not wanting Emily to get the wrong idea. "But it was just that one time. We were talking about Billy and we got caught up in the emotions and everything and it wasn't like it was planned or anything, or that it was something we meant to happen. It just did."

"'It just did'," Emily repeated, even as she felt a growing sense of worry. "Do you regret it?"

Trini didn't answer, instead, she looked away because she couldn't say what Emily wanted to hear; she didn't regret the kiss, but she did regret that Emily got hurt.

Emily felt a sting of betrayal and it was as if someone had stabbed her in the heart with a knife. She had liked Trini, trusted her, but it had all been a lie.

"Wow," She chuckled, but it came out as a sob.

"Emily," Trini shook her head. "It's not-it's not like that."

"Well what is it like Trini?!" Emily yelled. "What am I supposed to think? Huh?! I thought you were my friend, and you kissed my boyfriend!"

"I know!" Trini shouted, "I know, ok?! It was a stupid thing, a stupid kiss."

"But it still happened!" Emily snapped back. "You still kissed him." She started pacing, hands flying angrily through the air. "God, you know. I thought, I thought Ritchie was just full of it; that he was just being vindictive because you broke up, but now I see he was right. I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot, and Ritchie was wrong," Trini interrupted. "Yes, Jason and I kissed, but it was just a one-time thing! None of us meant for it to happen."

"And I suppose next you're gonna say it didn't mean anything," Emily scoffed.

"It-," Trini started, but then she stopped because, because she _couldn't_ say that. She'd told Kimberly that the kiss meant something, that it made her _feel_ something.

Emily looked at her. "It didn't mean anything, _right?_ " she took a step forward. "Tell me it didn't mean anything." She grabbed Trini's arms, shaking her a bit. "Tell me!"

"I can't!" Trini cried out as she pulled away. "I can't." The repeat was a whisper.

Emily stared at her and felt pain and anger, and a bit of fear, and it all caused her to lash out. "Fuck you Trini. And stay the fuck away from my boyfriend."

She whirled around and left, slamming the door behind her as she did so, not knowing—and not caring even if she did—that back inside, Trini flinched away from the sound before she dropped down on the couch, tears flowing freely as she cried.

~…~

Emily was still pulsing with anger and pain when she slammed open the door to her own home.

The noise drew her mother from the kitchen, but Emily didn't even give her a moment before she was up the stairs in her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She stood still for a moment, her emotions rioting. And then, she exploded.

Books were thrown all over. One of the beside lamps was taken up and thrown against the wall. The chair was thrown. Everything that was on dresser table was swept to the floor.

The cacophony of noise drew Emily's mother attention and the older woman was running as she made her way to her daughter's room.

She slammed the door open, but then froze when she took in the destruction of the room. "Emily?!"

Said girl whirled around to glare at her mother. She was panting heavily, and her hands were clenched into fists, but it was the tears in her blue eyes that had Maggie moving towards her daughter.

"Emily," Maggie questioned, voice soft and gentle, not wanting to trigger her daughter, "What's going on? What happened?"

"I trusted her!" Emily shouted, her tears spilling over, "I trusted him and they just…they betrayed me! How could they do that? How could _he_ do that to me?"

Mothering instincts taking over, Maggie reached out and pulled her daughter into a hug. And the moment her mother's arms closed around her, Emily broke down.

She really liked Jason; could even love him, and he had cheated on her.

~…~

Jason was…well, he didn't know what he was. He was confused over Trini and what he was feeling, and he was worried _and_ confused about what to do with Emily. He really liked her, but he was also having these _feelings_ for Trini.

He needed to talk to someone.

With a sigh, he picked up the phone and dialled the hotel number, and then asked to be connected to Tommy's room.

" _Hello?"_

"Hey bro," Jason replied as he sat on his bed, back against the headboard.

" _Oh, hey Jase," Tommy said, "What's up?"_

"I need to talk to you," Jason told him, "Normally I'd talk to Trini, but I can't, and I'd talk to Kim, but I'm pretty sure she's talking to Tri, and Zack's in Switzerland, so-"

" _So, I'm your last choice?" Tommy chuckled._

"Kinda," Jason grinned. "But you're still my bro."

 _Tommy laughed. "Alright, whatever. So, what'd you wanna talk about?"_

"I kissed Trini," Jason answered.

 _On the other end, Tommy was shocked. "You kissed Trini? I didn't even know you liked her like that!"_

"I don't!" Jason replied, "I mean, I think I don't."

" _You think you don't?" Tommy repeated with a frown. "Jase, man, you kissed Trini. I think that means that some part of you, well, you know, likes her."_

Jason groaned.

" _What are you going to do?" Tommy asked._

"Everything is so messed up and confusing," Jason replied on another groan. "I'm with Emily, and I really like her. But I've been having these confusing feelings for weeks now, and kissing Trini just made all those feelings stronger."

" _Does Emily know?"_

"About the kiss or about what I feel for Trini?" Jason countered.

" _Both."_

"She doesn't know anything," Jason replied, "I don't even know what to say to her…if I even should say anything to her."

 _On the other end, Tommy shook his head in disbelief. "Jase, man, you know you have to say something, right? You kissed Trini, and now you think might have feelings for her. Emily deserves to know, doesn't she? Maybe she already does and is just waiting for you to come to her."_

Jason frowned and felt a shot of panic. "How would she even know? I didn't even know! The kiss wasn't planned or anything."

" _I don't know man," Tommy answered. "Girls are weird about these kinds of things. Sometimes, it's like they just know." He paused. "But what are you gonna do though? I mean, you're with Emily but you kissed Trini."_

Jason groaned. "Man, I don't know. I like Em, I really do. But, that kiss…it felt…I don't know…" he shook his head.

~…~

Things were awkward between the rangers.

On the battlefield, they worked as seamlessly as ever; Trini stepping into the role of helping Alpha in the Power Chamber and helping to configure equipment that would help while the rangers destroyed whatever monster the Machine Empire deigned to send down.

But off the field?

Things were awkward.

Jason and Trini seemed to avoid each other, or rather, Trini seemed to avoid Jason and being alone with him. Whenever the group was together, if she made sure they weren't sitting next to each other, and if she and Jason looked at each other, she would quickly look away; sometimes, she even made excuses to leave, leaving not just Jason, but the others completely confused as well.

Even more confusing, Emily was coming around even more than she did before and when she did, she was glaring at Trini. She also seemed to be mad at Jason as well, but still, most of her anger seemed to be directed towards the Vietnamese girl.

And yet, the others had no idea what was wrong because none of the three were talking.

Speaking of…

"Hey," Emily called out as she walked up to the group.

"Hey Emily," Tanya greeted.

"Is Jason here?" Emily asked, though she was already looking around, hoping to spot her boyfriend.

"We haven't seen him yet," Kat answered her. "But I think he should be showing up soon."

Emily hummed and shifted her stance. "And Trini?" she asked almost _too_ casually.

"She's not here yet either," Adam told her, "she said she'd be running a bit late as she had to help her parents."

Emily hummed again, though she stance did relax a bit, causing Tanya to cock her head and stare at the other girl, brows furrowed.

"What's going on between you and Trini?" came the blunt question, throwing Emily, and the others, off guard.

"What do you mean?" Emily countered.

"What I mean is," Tanya pointed out, "for the last few days, you and Trini haven't spoken to each other. In fact, you've been glaring at her a lot lately. So, something must have gone down between the two of you."

Emily stared at the girl, and group, for a few seconds. "If you see Jason, just tell him I'm looking for him." She then turned and walked away, leaving them staring after her.

"What the hell was that?" Kat asked, turning back to her friends.

"Something weird is going on," Adam frowned. "You don't think they had a fight, do you? She and Trini. And maybe Jason took Trini's side and now Emily is mad at them both?"

Rocky snorted. "Maybe Trini and Jason hooked up."

"Yeah right," Adam laughed, as did the others.

The only one who wasn't laughing was Tanya.

Kat noticed. "Tanya, you don't really think that that's true, do you?"

"Maybe," Tanya countered, stopping the laughter of the guys. "I mean, if you think about how Jason and Trini were during the whole breakup debacle and then him losing his powers, and now all of a sudden, Trini is avoiding him and Emily is glaring at Trini every time she sees her…well, what else could it be?"

"Trini wouldn't do that," Rocky countered, frowning, "And neither would Jason."

"You sure about that?" Tanya asked, "they've known each other since they were kids. They're extremely close and have gotten even closer ever since Billy left. Who's to say something didn't happen? Not to mention the way they act with each other."

"What do you mean?" Kat asked, trying to think of any time Trini and Jason acted as more than friends.

"Like the time when Jason told us about losing the gold ranger powers," Tanya said, "even then I could see that there was something going on there, but I couldn't figure it out. The way they were wrapped up in each other; Trini's reaction to Jason keeping the secret and his reaction to her reaction. It was just…weird…something _more_."

Even Rocky was frowning now as his mind brought back memories of the last few days, weeks, and how Jason and Trini were around each other.

~…~

While the rangers were inside trying to figure out what was going on, outside, Trini was making her to the gym and juice bar.

"Trini!"

She recognized Jason's voice—nearly 18 years of friendship would do that—but she pretended she didn't hear him and kept walking.

Jason let out a curse behind her and practically ran to catch up to her. When he did, he grabbed her arm to turn her to face him. "What the hell Tri?"

"What?" Trini asked, acting confused, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Jason glared at her. "You heard me calling you and didn't stop."

"No, I didn't," Trini denied.

"Yea you did!" Jason insisted. He then let go of her arm. "Plus, you've been avoiding me." He took a quick look around and stepped a bit closer to her. "Ever since our kiss I haven't talked to you, let alone see you."

"Jason," Trini started to speak, but then stopped. She had no idea how to tell him how the kiss made her feel, that Emily knew and what Emily had asked—demanded—of her.

"Do you hate me?" Jason asked, fear in his eyes.

Trini was completely startled by the question. "What? No! How could you ask that?"

"Well what the hell am I supposed to think Tri!" Jason asked, frustration lacing his words, as he took a slight step back from her.

"I thought you'd be happy not having to see me," Trini countered, "You have a girlfriend Jason. And you cheated on her…with me. How do you think I feel about that? Horrible. But I don't hate you."

"You thought I'd be happy not seeing you?" Jason repeated, "Trini, you're one of my best friends. I've known you my entire life and you think that I could ever be _happy_ not seeing you? How could you think that?"

"I was thinking of your relationship with Emily," Trini told him, "I know how you much you like her, and that kiss…" she trailed off.

The kiss.

The kiss he couldn't stop thinking about.

"We need to talk about that," Jason told her.

Trini sighed. "I know, but not now. Just…not now."

"Then when?" Jason demanded.

"I don't know, okay!" Trini snapped. "I just know it's not _now_." She stepped back. "I gotta go."

She turned and walked away, practically running from him as she ignored him calling out to her. Her feet took her through the park and toward one of the benches that faced the lake in the short distance. Her heart was aching, she collapsed onto it, and she felt tears fill her eyes as everything seemed to come over her.

Kissing Jason had never been a plan, neither was hurting Emily, but she still can't deny how right it had felt. She'd meant it when she had told Kimberly that she had never thought of him like that before, but ever since she came back home, she'd felt _something_ whenever they were together, or they touched. And then, when Billy left, they had gotten even closer.

The bond that was always there between them, that connected the two of them—along with Kimberly, Zack and Billy due to growing up together, side by side and having each other's backs—had shifted; the bond for the five of them was still there, but between her and Jason…it had become something _more._

And then…the kiss.

It was stupid.

It was wrong.

It was wrong because Jason had a girlfriend.

But…it had felt _right_. Kissing Jason had felt as if it was something that she-that they should have been doing before…as if they _had_ been doing it all along.

"I can't believe you!" came the accusation, startling her, and she looked up to see Emily storming over to her.

Trini jumped to her feet, shock on her face. "What?"

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Emily glared at her. "After what you did, I asked for _one_ thing and you can't even do that!"

"I'm doing what you asked Emily," Trini countered. And she really was. It was hard, Jason was one of her best friends, but she, _they,_ had hurt Emily and it was least she felt she could do…no matter how much it hurt her.

"Oh really?" Emily scoffed.

"Yes!" Trini told her.

"Oh, ok, then why did I just see you and Jason together?" Emily asked. She had just left the juice bar to try and find Jason when she had come across the two of them. She hadn't been close enough to hear whatever they had been talking about, but she could see how close they were standing, and even worse, just how _intimate_ the two of them looked; from a distance, it was easy to mistake the two of them for a couple and it had sent her jealousy and anger soaring.

"It's bad enough you did what you did," Emily continued, anger lacing every word, "But I asked for one fucking thing and you're too selfish to even do that! Haven't you done enough?!"

Trini regretted that Emily was hurt by the kiss with Jason and her guilt had caused her to agree to Emily's demands of staying away from him because she felt like she owed the girl the distance after hurting her. But now, Trini could feel the guilt being replaced with anger.

"What more do you want from me Emily?!" Trini exploded. "I've done what you asked! I've stayed away from Jason; I've given up my best friend for you!"

"I want you to mean it!" Emily yelled back. "I want to not find the two of you together looking like a fucking couple!"

"I'm sorry!" Trini shouted.

"Sorry doesn't mean a damn thing when you can't seem to stay away from my boyfriend," Emily countered. "I mean it Trini. Stay the fuck away from Jason. I don't want you around him."

"What the hell is going on here?!"

The question startled the two girls and forced them to look away from each other to see Jason standing just a few feet away.

Jason looked between the two girls before his gazed focused on Trini. "Is this why you've been avoiding me the last few days? Walking away when you see me? Pretending you can't hear me when I call your name? Is it?!"

Trini bit her lip, eyes filling up with tears, but she nodded all the same.

Jason turned back to Emily, who stared back with a look of a defiance. "What the hell Em? Why would you tell Trini to stay away from me? She's one of my best friends."

Emily's look of defiance turned to anger, and she glared at him. "And that didn't stop you from kissing her, did it?"

Shock, followed by disbelief and then, resignation filled Jason's face. "You know."

"Trini told me," Emily answered, "I knew something was up between the two of you, and I went to her house and asked her point blank. She admitted it."

Jason ran a hand over his face. "Emily."

"I was pissed Jason," Emily cut him off. "I _am_ pissed. You cheated on me. It's bad enough she messed with Tommy and Kat's relationship, but then she messed with ours. So yeah, I told her to stay away from you. I had a right. _I'm_ your girlfriend."

Jason scowled. "Yes, you're my girlfriend, but that doesn't give you a right to tell me who I can and can't be friends with. That doesn't—

"Are you freaking me kidding me?!" Emily cut him off. "I'm your fucking girlfriend Jason…your girlfriend! You know, the girl you're _supposed_ to be with? And you kissed someone else! I had every right to tell her to stay the fuck away from you."

"No, you didn't," Jason countered, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Oh?" Emily scoffed angrily. "And what should I have done?"

"You should've come to me," Jason answered, "You never should've gone after Trini. You should've come to me!"

"I didn't know I could!" Emily yelled back. "I didn't know if you'd have lied to me or tell me the truth."

Trini felt very uncomfortable standing there listening to the two of them argue. She hated that she was part of the reason why Jason and Emily were fighting. Was this karma for interfering in Tommy and Kat's relationship? Sure, she still believed she did the right thing; Kimberly was her best friend, her sister, and Tommy had deserved to know that the breakup wasn't because Kim had met someone else, but because she had suffered mentally and was trying to fix herself the only way she could see.

She had said that she hadn't known what Tommy's decision would've been and that she would've accepted it if he had chosen to stay with Kat, and she would've, really, but truth is, deep down, she _had_ known, _hoped,_ that Tommy would do exactly what he did; end his relationship with Kat and go after Kim.

And now, the universe was paying her back.

"You're right," Jason acknowledged, drawing Trini's attention out of her mind and back to the confrontation. "I should've come to you, I should've said something, that's on me."

"So, why didn't you?" Emily asked, because that was one the reasons she was so hurt. She had trusted Jason, and had thought he trusted her, that they wouldn't lie to each other, but Jason had. Not only had he kissed his friend, but he had kept it a secret. He had lied to her when he told it was just a fight, nothing important.

Jason bit his lip. He didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was, but he didn't think he could lie either. How could he admit that he didn't say anything because he was confused over what the kiss did to him? But he knew he had to be honest. She deserved it.

"Because I was confused," He admitted.

"Why were you so confused?" Emily asked, "You're with _me_. In all the time I've known you, since I met her, you always both claim each other as siblings."

"And that's why," Jason told her. "Before, I did see Trini almost the same as Kim, but then, we kissed, and when we did, I felt something and that's why I was so confused because, Trini is one of my best friends. How could I feel something like that for?"

"But why did you even kiss her?" Emily asked. It was something that had been tearing at her, something she hadn't known she needed the answer to until the question was out there, because how could Jason just kiss Trini if he saw her as a little sister? And she said as much.

Jason frowned slightly. "We were…we were talking about Billy and just sharing memories and before I knew it, we were kissing."

Emily actually felt a wave of relief. Part of the reason she'd been so upset was because no matter what, she couldn't forget Ritchie's words and then to learn that Jason and Trini had kissed and that the kiss meant something to the other girl had left her so worried…worried that she was going to lose her boyfriend. But now, hearing him, she felt so relieved.

"Oh," Emily sighed, "It was just something that happened in the heat of the moment. It didn't mean anything." She looked up at him and took a step closer, reaching out to grab his hand in hers. "I was freaking out and upset and everything because I thought I was losing you. But now I know it didn't mean anything, so I can get past this… _we_ can get past this."

Trini felt like her heart was breaking. The kiss had meant something to her, she'd told Kim as much, and a tiny part of her had hoped that it had meant something to Jason as well.

"I don't want to move past this," Jason admitted, shocking both girls.

"What?"

"I don't want to move past this," Jason repeated.

"You can't mean that," Emily uttered, as she dropped his hand, an automatic reaction of the devastation and desperation that she was feeling and that echoed in her voice. How had things gotten to this point? That she was on the verge of losing her boyfriend?

"I do," Jason nodded. "You're right; I should've been honest with you. I should've come to you and told you about the kiss and how I was feeling but I didn't, and I'm sorry."

"And I can forgive you," Emily near pleaded, "We can pretend it didn't happen and just move on."

"But don't you see Em," Jason said, "if I did that, then I'd be lying to you, and to me because I do like Trini and…I want to be with her. I realize now that it's why I didn't like Ritchie. I tried to tell myself that it was just because I've known Trini for so long and that I see her the way I see Kim, but it's not true. It's because I was jealous; I was jealous that he got to be with Trini when it was supposed to be me…I _wanted_ it to be me. And then we kissed, and it was like, "oh…that's what this is. That's why I was so confused."

"And you're not confused anymore?" this time, it was Trini who spoke, and her voice was softer than usual, a sort of fragile hope leaking in.

Jason turned to look at her, his own eyes softened as he took her in. "No, not anymore. I know what I want now." He shrugged. "You. I want you."

"And what about us?" Emily questioned, "what about me?" though, in her heart, she already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry Em," Jason whispered. And he truly was; he had liked Emily and enjoyed being with her and spending time with. But…it was Trini. "I'm sorry that you're hurt, that I hurt you, but I want to try with her."

Emily bit back the sob that wanted to escape. She wanted to rage at him, at Trini, and demand that he gave them another chance, but she knew. "There's no point in fighting this, is there? We're done, aren't we?"

Jason nodded. "We are."

"Ok," Emily nodded, her eyes already filling up, "well, sorry if I don't wish you both all the happiness in the world." With nothing left to say, she turned and walked away. When she was far enough from them, she looked back, some part of her hoping that Jason would be watching her; he wasn't. Instead, she could only watch, her heart breaking, as the two wrapped their arms around each other and kissed. Turning away, she finally gave into the tears and the pain and cried as she made her way home.

~…~

"Did you mean it?" Trini asked, eyes not moving from watching Emily's departure.

Jason stepped closer to her and reached out, gently turning her to face him. "I did. I like you Tri, a lot, and I want us to be together."

A bright, big smile took over her face and Jason felt his breath catch at the sight. How could he ever have thought that he felt the same for her the way he did Kim? Kim was and always would be one of best friends, he would always want to protect, and her smiles had never made him feel the same way that Trini did. Kim, when he thought of her, would always be his baby sister, but Trini…she was never in that category.

"So…?" Jason asked, one hand moving up to trace her face, while the other wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Yes!" Trini answered, still smiling even as her own hands did their own travelling up and around his neck. "I like you too Jason. And I want to be with you."

They closed the distance between them and kissed. And as they melted into it and each other, only thought echoed, _'Finally.'_

* * *

 **A/N 2:** comments, questions, concerns? How was it?

 **Chapter title:** the reunion was mostly of the rangers reuniting with the Aquitian rangers, at least, some of them; the revelations aspect was pertaining Mr. C finding out who the rangers are and what's going on with Billy, and also about Emily, Trini and Jason


	6. Revelations and Surprises

**Setting:** During ZEO and then through TURBO and TURBO: A Power Rangers Movie **  
Summary:** A former ranger returns to Angel Grove, determined to bring two friends back together, and in the process, changing the course of the lives of everyone involved **  
Chapter: 6:** Revelations and Surprises **  
Chapter Word Count:** 9,622

 **A/N:** Hello everyone. First off, I do want to apologize for the extra long wait. I know I said updates would be sporadic, and that hasn't changed, but even I didn't anticipate that it would take over 6 months. Secondly, one reason (other than those already given when this story was first posted), it took so long was because this chapter just kicked my ass and didn't want to be written how I wanted; the whole thing really was being stubborn which didn't help with writer's block. But here it is now. Hope it makes up for the wait. Enjoy. 😊

 **Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Hasbro. I am not making any money from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"Speaking"  
 _'Thinking'  
"Speaking over the phone/coms"  
_

 **O.P.D.:** _Friday, 21 February 2020_

* * *

 _(Florida)_

Kim hummed softly to herself as she made her way through the hotel to Tommy's room. The coach had given them the day off, and she was determined to spend it with Tommy.

The last few days, week or so really, had been filled with shocking encounters; she had never expected Tommy to show up in Florida at the gym, nor had she expected what he had said when they finally saw each other again. Breaking up with him truly had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done, but she had believed it was the right thing to do, and as painful as it had been, she had accepted and had tried to move on with the knowledge that he would never be hers again.

But now, now, she had a second chance with him, and she didn't want to waste it. It wasn't something that had come immediately, even knowing from him that that was what he wanted; she had fought it because she hadn't thought she deserved it, not after the way she had chosen to break them apart, but Tommy had slowly broken down her defences, the barrier she had put up to push through her pain and move forward.

Now, now, she felt so much better than she had _before_ he had spontaneously shown up, and she was beyond grateful that he was willing to forgive her, to give them— _her_ —a second chance. It was one she didn't plan on wasting.

~…~

The next day, Kim went looking for her coach. She knew he would be in his office, so she headed in that direction, waving to a few of her fellow gymnasts that were practicing on the mats. When she walked into the office, she saw him sitting behind his desk, eyes down on the paper in front of him.

"Coach?" Kim called softly, not wanting to startle him, but needing his attention.

Schmidt looked up, blue eyes warming at the sight of his gymnast. "Ah, Kimberly. To what do I owe the pleasure? Shouldn't you be practicing?"

Kim closed the door behind her and moved to sit in the chair across from his desk. She took a deep breath and released it. "Coach, I need to talk to you."

Schmidt looked at the young girl in front of him, the diamond that he'd found in the rough of Angel Grove, California, a girl that had an innate talent and passion for gymnastics, and he knew, before she even continued, what she was about to say. "You're quitting, and returning home, aren't you?"

There was surprise on Kim's face as she hadn't expected him to guess what she wanted to say, but she didn't deny it.

And truth was, Schmidt expected it. For some time now, the initial passion that he had seen in Kimberly had faded away; although she was still as fierce and one of the best gymnasts he'd ever coached, it wasn't the same. It was as if the life and energy had been drained out of her. He hadn't realized it fully until he saw her over a week ago and saw the life returned to her eyes. He had been surprised, and then not, when he had learned that her boyfriend was in town. He had known then that that was the reason Kimberly had seemingly bounced back to the girl he had met over a year ago.

"I am," Kim nodded as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry if it's not what you want to hear and I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but this—

He held up a hand to stop her from speaking. "I understand Kimberly. Yes, I am disappointed, but only because I do believe you are an amazing gymnast and you have great potential."

Kim looked away briefly, not wanting to show how his words hit her. A part of her knew she was letting him down, but she knew in her heart that this was the right decision for her. So, she turned her gaze back to him, her eyes filled with determined strength.

"However," Schmidt continued; a smile hidden as he caught a glimpse of the determination lighting her eyes. "I've seen you over the last year and change, and somewhere along the way, it's as if the fire that I first saw within you had burnt out. And now, I'm looking at you and I see that fire return. I see the girl I met last summer. And I know it has more to do with _who_ is here than gymnastics itself."

Kim shifted a bit in her seat but didn't drop her gaze. He deserved that from her. "You're right. Gymnastics used to mean so much to me and believe me when I say that I am truly grateful that you saw me and took a chance, believing I could make it to the Olympics." And she'd come close. But in the end, she had lost out the spot to another gymnast. "But I can't be here anymore. I can't go forward because I just don't feel the same way about it that I used to. I love being a gymnast, and I think I always will, but,"

"There is no passion, no love for it," Schmidt finished, "at least…not on a competitive level."

"Exactly," Kim nodded.

"And there's nothing I can say that would change your mind?" he asked. He knew the answer, of course he did, but still he had to ask.

"No," Kim negated, shaking her head. She was done with competing and done with Florida. All she wanted was to go _home._

"Then I wish you all the best Kimberly," Schmidt said, "it truly was a joy training you and watching you flourish. I do wish things could've turned out differently."

After murmuring her thanks, she gave one final goodbye and left the office, her heart lighter than it had been and the smile that bloomed across her face as she walked away let her know with no uncertainties that she truly was doing the right thing.

~…~

While Schmidt made the announcement to the rest of the gymnasts, Kim went back to her dorm to pack up her belongings. It wasn't much, which she was happy about, and she was out the door before long.

She hadn't yet told Tommy her decision, but she had spoken to her mother about it.

 _Flashback_

" _Allo?"_

" _Hi mom…it's me," Her voice was soft._

 _On the other end, Caroline lit up in pleasure at her daughter's voice. "Kimberly! How are you darling?"_

" _I'm good mom," Kim sighed._

" _And how is your training going?" Caroline questioned. When the line remained silent, she frowned. "Kimberly?"_

" _I'm quitting gymnastics," Kim told her._

" _You're what?" Caroline was shocked to say the least. From a very young age, probably around the same time she saw Mary Lou Retton performing, her daughter had fell in love with gymnastics and that was all she'd wanted to do. "What brought this on?"_

" _I'm not happy mom," Kim answered. And then, like a fountain, she spilled about everything that she had been feeling, that had been happening since before Christmas last year; she explained about the mood swings, her fall, her stint in the hospital, what led to her breaking things off with Tommy…everything._

 _Caroline was stunned by what her daughter was telling her. Her child was in pain, had been hurting, and she'd had no idea. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

" _I don't know," Kim shrugged, "I guess I just didn't want you to worry."_

" _I'm your mother Kimberly," Caroline gently rebuked. "And being your mother means that it's in my job description to worry about you."_

" _I'm sorry." Kim replied, twinge in her heart at the thought that she'd once again let down someone she cared about._

" _It's ok," Caroline told her. "But you're ok now, right?"_

" _I'm better," Kim assured her._

" _So, this quitting thing," Caroline started._

" _It's what I want mom," Kim gently cut her off. "The moment I decided to leave and go home, I've felt more at peace and happy than I've been feeling. That alone tells me that this is the right thing to do…for me."_

" _Alright," Caroline, "What do you need me to do?"_

"So, you're really leaving," came the comment from her bedroom door and Kim looked up to see her roommate and friends standing there.

"Yeah," Kim nodded.

The girls came into the room, with Paula sitting on Kim's bed, Amanda and Jeannine standing nearby.

"Why?" Jeannine asked. A scowl appeared, "Did Tommy force you to do this?"

"No," Kim reassured her friend, "This is my decision, not Tommy's. He doesn't even know."

"So, then," Amanda bit her lip. "Why?"

"Because I'm not happy," Kim told them, "because I haven't been happy for a while. I've been pretending and acting like I'm ok, but I'm not."

"We've all been stressed," Paula said, remembering her roommate's fluctuating moods and the weekend she'd return to the dorm to find Kimberly sobbing uncontrollably in her bed; it was the same weekend the breakup letter had been written.

"Not like I have," Kim replied. She knew gymnastics was a demanding path, and yeah her friends and roommate were all stressed at one point or another, but she was different; being a power ranger, having that sort of power/energy moving through you changed you inside and out, and then, to lose that power? It had been beyond tough on her, made even worse by the fact that because she wasn't able to open up to them about what she had really been going through, and she didn't tell the others, she had been alone with no support. "Even now, as tough as practice is, I can see that you guys still love it, but I don't. Not anymore. Gymnastics has become a chore for me, and I honestly lost the passion and drive for it. That's why I'm quitting."

The three girls exchanged looks.

"So, there's really no changing your mind?" Amanda said.

Kim shook her head. "No. I've already talked to my mother and my flight's booked. I'm going home."

"Well I think you're making a big mistake," Jeannine said, "but, we can't force you to stay, though I really wish you would."

Paula stood up and walked over to her former roommate and hugged her. "Not gonna lie, it sucks you're leaving, but I also remember how you were and if this is what you really want, then I'm gonna miss you."

Kim returned the hug. "I'll miss you too." She looked over at the other two. "I'll miss all of you. You made being here fun even if I am no longer happy doing this."

After a moment of hesitation, Jeannine and Amanda joined the hug.

"We're gonna miss you too," Amanda said.

Kim squeezed all three tighter, grateful for the friendship she'd held with all of them, as it was that grounding presence that helped her push through the last months.

~…~

His mother was acting weird.

That was the thought that kept going through Tommy's mind as he sat on one of the chairs in her hotel room watching her move about.

It wasn't anything bad really; she was smiling, like a lot, and seemed to be in a very happy mood.

Not that she wasn't before, but now, she seemed… _more._ Like she found out something that made very, very happy and she just couldn't help herself with the smiles and good mood.

It was weird.

But no matter how much he asked, she wouldn't tell him anything. He'd even asked his dad, but his father wasn't saying anything either.

"So, you're really not gonna tell me what's going on?" Tommy asked.

Melissa looked over at him and smiled. "Nope."

"I'm hurt," Tommy mocked, "I am your son and you're keeping secrets from me. Hurt, I tell you, I'm hurt. I'm your son!"

Melissa couldn't help it, she laughed.

A knock sounded on the door just then and to Tommy's surprise, his mother seemed to practically vibrate even more.

Frowning, _seriously what was up with her?!,_ he got up and opened it.

"Kimberly!" he was a little surprised to see her, not that he wasn't happy, but because he knew she was supposed to be busy at the gym today.

"Hi," Kim smiled even as she stepped into the room and into Tommy's arms for a brief hug.

"Hi darling!" Melissa greeted as she walked over to the two, pulling the teen from her son and into a hug of her own. "Is everything all set?"

"Yep," Kim nodded in answer.

Tommy looked at the two in confusion. "What's all set? What's going on?"

At that moment, James walked into the room. "You know, considering it's you, I honestly expected more luggage."

Tommy looked at the two suitcases his father was holding. He recognized them. "Why do you have Kim's luggage?" it took a moment before he turned wide eyes to his girlfriend and his mother. "What does this mean?"

He could feel the hope rising and hoped the luggage meant what he thought it meant, but he didn't want to say anything in case he was wrong.

Kim stepped towards him. "When you guys leave to go home, I'm going with you."

Tommy was stunned. "What, like for a visit?"

"No," Kim shook her head. "For good. I already talked to the coach and my mom; I'm done with training. I quit."

It was everything he wanted, but. "Kim…if-if I pushed you in any way."

Kim was already shaking her head, though a small smile played on her lips. "No, you didn't. Tommy this was something I needed to do, that was going to happen, but if anything, you being here did make it come quicker. It helped me to face what I've been feeling; I haven't been happy here Tommy, not like I was when I first got here and definitely not after breaking up with you. Somewhere along the way I lost the drive, the passion for gymnastics and competing. I wasn't happy anymore; gymnastics went from something I loved, to something I was doing because I had to...it became a chore."

His heart was pounding. "And this is what you want? Right?"

Kim's smile grew and she stepped closer, reaching out to grab one of his hands in hers. "Yes. It's like…" she paused, "the moment I said the words to myself, I knew it was the right choice. Then I called my mom and after we talked, I was even more sure."

"Caroline then called me," Melissa injected, "and we hammered out the details. Kimberly is going to come back with us to Angel Grove, _and_ she's going to be staying with us."

"Well," James chuckled, "at least until you guys go off to college."

Tommy was shocked into silence, staring at the three of them mutely. Did he-did he just hear what he thought he did?

"Tommy?" Kim called. "That's ok, right?"

That drew him out of his stupor and he quickly pulled Kim into a hug. "Of course, it's ok! Kim, you're coming home!"

Now finally able to express her excitement, Melissa joined the two teens in the hug, holding them tight to her. She turned to look at her husband and beckoned him to join, and though he rolled his eyes, James was also smiling as he joined in.

 _(Angel Grove—a few days later)_

"The others are gonna be so surprised to see you," Tommy said to Kimberly as he drove them towards the juice bar.

They'd arrive back in Angel Grove yesterday and school would be starting in three days on Monday.

"I can't wait to see them," Kim smiled in response. It then dimmed as her brows furrowed. "Though I'm not sure if they'll be happy to see me."

Tommy threw her a look. "Are you kidding?"

"No," Kim shook her head, "I mean, Jason, Trini and Rocky might be happy to see me, but can you really say the same for Kat, Tanya or Adam?"

Tommy opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it because she was right. Kat was his ex, the one Tommy had ended his relationship with to get back together with the girl beside him, and Tanya was Kat's best friend; her loyalties would be with her. Adam though, he wasn't too sure about him. Adam knew Kim just as long as Rocky had, but he also liked Tanya, and it seemed she liked him as well even though the two hadn't said anything, but it was only a matter of time.

"I mean," Kim continued, "Considering how everything got twisted and moved around between us, I don't blame them, but still…might not be the happy reunion you think it'll be."

Tommy frowned. "Look, I don't care. I love you and I'm with you. They're going to have to deal with it, or they'll deal with me. After what you've been through, there's no way I'm letting any of them say or do anything that could hurt you. But really, I don't think it'll be as bad. And besides, even if they try to start something, they'll have me, Jason and Rocky to get through, and don't even get me started on Trini."

Kim smiled at his words, knowing full well how Trini could be when she got in her protective mode.

"They're just lucky Aisha is still in Africa," Tommy added on with a grin. "Her and Trini teaming up would be a sight to see though."

Kim laughed, which was exactly what Tommy had wanted. His gaze tracked over her, taking in the way her eyes sparkled, mouth wide opened as she laughed; god how he loved her. He will forever kick himself for not immediately questioning the letter, for not being there when she had been hurting, but they were back together now, and they had their whole future together, the rest of their lives, to make it up to each other.

~…~

The rangers and Trini were at the park, lakeside, waiting for Tommy. The former red ranger had arrived back in town yesterday but had said he would meet up with them today.

Tanya sat next to Kat, a smile on her face as she watched Rocky and Adam play around with each other. Her focus then moved to the other two members of their group; Jason and Trini.

When the two former rangers had admitted they were now together, she had been the only one not shocked; instead, she had felt vindication. She had suspected that there had been something between the two and she had been proven right. Briefly, she wondered just _how_ they got together, but neither one was saying, though based on the dark look that Emily had thrown at them the one time they ran into the blonde, it was easy to guess that the breakup between her and Jason hadn't been pleasant.

Tanya privately couldn't help but darkly think that the former yellow ranger's presence had turned out to be bad luck for their friends' love life; she'd meddled in Tommy and Kat's relationship, and had somehow meddled with Jason and Emily.

It wasn't that she didn't like the original yellow ranger, she did, she just…didn't like the things she did is all. And she couldn't understand how Kat could just easily forgive her and move on. If it was her, she'd be mad as hell and would _not_ have forgiven her…at least, not as quick as Kat did.

She shook her head, not wanting to ruin her mood, or the others', and as she did, she caught a glimpse of someone walking to them.

"Is that Tommy?" Tanya asked, looking behind the group, a slight frown on her face. "Who's he with though?"

The question had the others turning, and once they caught sight of who was coming towards them, surprise and delight were on their faces.

"It's Kimberly," Kat was the one to answer.

Grin on his face, Jason got up from the group and ran to Tommy and Kim, immediately grabbing her into a hug.

A loud squeal, followed by laughter, left Kimberly as Jason hugged her.

The others made their way over to them, with Rocky and Trini both clamouring for their own greeting.

"Jason put her down!" Trini laughed. "I want a hug too!"

"Same man!" Rocky added with a laugh.

"No!" Jason protested with a pout, squeezing Kim tighter.

Kim laughed and she hugged his back, even as she was pushing at his shoulders to get him to release her. "Jase! Come on!"

Grumbling playfully, Jason finally released her. Rocky moved fast, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I missed you so much!" He grinned.

"Missed you too Rocky," Kim returned.

They hugged for a few more minutes before the blue ranger released her and stepped back, allowing Trini her turn.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" Trini scolded even as she folded her arms around her friend.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise," Kim giggled. "Missed you Tri."

"Same girl, same," Trini replied.

Tanya, Kat and Adam stayed back a bit, allowing the three to greet the former pink ranger. For Tanya, it was because she didn't know Kimberly and the fact that this was the ex-but now current-girlfriend of her best friend's ex-boyfriend; for Kat, it was more that she wasn't too sure Kimberly would welcome the hug considering the situation with Tommy; and for Adam, guilt was part of his hesitation.

When the hug ended, Trini stood to the side and watched as Kim greeted the other three; at this point, she honestly had no problems with them, but she still remembered Tanya's dislike of her and of Kimberly, and as much as things were good between them now, if the current yellow ranger did start something, she wouldn't hesitate to get involved.

Kim watched the three in front of her, wondering if she should make the first move and to who; before she could make that decision, it was taken from her when Adam stepped forward.

"Hey Kim," the former Black Ninjetti greeted with a hesitant smile, clearly unsure of the welcome. "Welcome home."

A brief smile, Kim stepped forward and hugged him. "Thanks Adam. It's good to be back."

Adam squeezed her briefly, the sudden feeling of truly missing her grabbing him for a moment, before he stepped back.

Kat took the initiative and stepped forward. "It's good to see you Kimberly."

Kim bit her lip and to the surprise of the pink and yellow rangers, she pulled Kat into a brief hug. "Good to see you too."

Though shocked, Kat returned the hug before stepping back and turning to her best friend. "This is Tanya; she took over for Aisha when we gained our ZEO powers."

When her successor gestured to the current yellow, Kim couldn't help the apprehension; this was not just Aisha's replacement, but she was also Kat's best friend, and from what she's heard from both Trini and Jason, the girl wasn't pleased about all that happened and she doubted that the girl liked her. What she'd said to Tommy was coming back.

"Hey." Tanya didn't step forward for a hug. Her body displayed her obvious wariness towards the former pink ranger and her expression was almost distant as she stared at the other girl. "Nice to finally meet you."

The tension was pronounced, though it was more so from Tanya than Kim, and the latter found herself stepping back into Tommy's body.

"Same," Kim nodded.

Tommy wrapped an arm around Kim's shoulders, pulling her to him, while Trini stepped even closer in solidarity.

Anyone looking at the group would think it was an old-fashioned standoff; Kat, Tanya and Adam on one side, and the others facing them, with Kimberly in the middle between Trini and Tommy and Jason and Rocky at both ends.

"So," Kim spoke up, wanting to break the tension. "What are you guys up to?"

Katherine gave her predecessor a small smile, understanding completely what the other girl was doing and surprisingly, not at all surprised; she and Kim may not be close, but she did know her enough to know that the former pink ranger would always be the one to try and diffuse a situation.

"Nothing much," Kat answered. If Kim was going to make the effort, then she could meet her halfway. "You remember what it's like."

Kim gave a nod that said she did. "Yeah…just hanging out at the park, waiting for the next attack or until we had to go home and do homework."

"Exactly," Kat replied, and the two girls exchanged grins.

~…~

Kim was sitting at a table that was against the wall of the juice bar. She and Tommy were supposed to meet up when he finished running errands for his mom, and she was just waiting for him to be done. She would've gone with him, but there'd been something she'd wanted to do, someone she was hoping to meet with and talk.

Katherine.

She and Tommy had been back for about two days now, and things were slightly strained between the group of friends; things were awkward between her and Adam, there was a slightly cold distance with Tanya, and she and Kat were just uncomfortable around each other. The awkwardness of the entire situation was even worse due to the closeness and easy camaraderie that was there between her, Jason, Trini and Rocky. They were all still a group of friends, but there was still that…crack, that line between them.

And Kim knew that one of the first starts to fix it, was to talk with Katherine.

"Kimberly?" came the softly foreign accent.

Speak of the devil…

Kim looked up to see Kat standing a short distance away, her body lined with hesitation and her brows furrowed, but there was still an air of curiosity around her.

"Ernie said you were looking for me?" Kat continued.

"Hey Kat," Kim greeted, "yeah, I was." She gestured to the seat in front of her, motioning for the other girl to sit down.

Kat did, though still a bit wary. When she'd step into the juice bar, the _last_ thing she'd expected was for Ernie to tell her that Kimberly was looking for her. Since Kimberly had returned with Tommy just a few days ago, she hadn't spent any time with her predecessor, and a big part of it had to do with the awkward situation between them: Tommy. It wasn't that she had been actively avoiding the former pink ranger, but she'd had no idea how or even if to approach her.

But it seemed now that Kimberly had decided to take matters into her own hands.

"So," Kat started.

"So," Kim repeated.

The two girls were silent for a moment.

"Well, this is awkward, isn't it?" Kat blew out a breath.

Kim chuckled. "Very, but we're not going to let that stop us, are we?"

Kat smiled in response. "No."

Kim took a breath and released, "Ok, look, so, the reason I was looking for you was because I thought we should talk…clear the air between us. We share friends, we _are_ friends, at least I hope so, and I just don't want things to be, well, awkward," she chuckled, "and I don't want to push the others in the middle either."

"We're friends?" Kat couldn't help but to latch on to those words because she was surprised by them. She had honestly thought that after everything, Kimberly wouldn't see her as a friend.

Kim's eyes went wide and then she deflated with a sigh. "It's because of the mess with you, me and Tommy, isn't it, why you don't think we're friends?"

"Kinda," Kat shrugged. She paused, but then continued. "I didn't think you'd want to be my friend, or still see me as a friend, after everything."

Kim let out a soft laugh. "I feel the same way actually."

The two girls exchanged smiles and they relaxed a bit more.

"I've always seen you as my friend Kat," Kim said softly. "That's part of why I wanted to talk to you. I don't want things to be weird between us. I want to…make sure we're ok. I want our friendship to be ok."

"I want that too," Kat told her. And she wasn't just saying that. Despite how she'd met them, Kimberly had been the first of the group she'd become friends with, and it was her friendship and connection that had allowed the spell that Rita had placed on her to break enough for her to save the other girl's life. And even after everything she'd done, it had been Kimberly who had pulled her into the group and then, had given her the chance to be a Power Ranger.

"Ok," Kim smiled. "So, let's talk."

~…~

When Tanya walked into the juice bar looking for her best friend, the last thing she expected to be told, or _see,_ was that Katherine was with Kimberly, and yet, she stood watching that exact scene.

"Hey Tanya."

She turned to see Adam walking up to her, Rocky with him. Adam reached out to his teammate when he saw the look on her face. "What is it?"

She didn't answer and instead gestured to where Kat and Kimberly were sitting together and talking.

"Huh," Rocky stared at the two girls. "Gotta say, didn't see that coming, but not really surprised."

"How did that even happen?" Tanya demanded, turning to frown at the two boys. Last she knew, Kat and Kim couldn't stand to be around each other and now they're sitting there talking?

"How did what happen?" Jason asked as he and Trini joined them.

"Kimberly and Kat are talking," Adam answered.

"Makes sense," Trini said, causing Tanya to look at her.

"What?" Tanya prodded. "Why would she even want to talk to Kat? She's dating Kat's ex."

"Who was Kim's ex first," Jason injected.

That caused Tanya to frown. "If she's gonna try anything…

"Just…stop it," Trini shook her head.

"Yeah Kim's not like that," Rocky added.

"If anything," Trini continued, "Kim probably just wanted to clear the air; no matter what you think, Kim always saw Kat as a friend. And again, Kim is the type of person that wouldn't be comfortable with someone else being left out or hurt. Of course, she would want to make sure Kat's ok with everything."

"Gotta wonder what they're talking about though," Adam mused.

"What who's talking about?" Tommy asked, startling the others as they hadn't heard him come up.

"Kim and Kat," Jason answered, motioning towards the two girls.

To their surprise, Tommy was neither surprised nor worried.

"Wait," Tanya looked at him, "You knew about this?"

"Yeah," Tommy shrugged in response. "Kim said she wanted to talk to her, she just never really got the chance 'til now."

They then decided to leave the two girls and grabbed two tables, pushing them together and sat down, leaving two empty chairs for the pink rangers to join when they were done with their conversation.

Before long, Jason and Tommy had moved away from the group to spar, leaving the other four still sitting at the table. The conversation was light, though Tanya still threw the occasional look to where Kim and Kat were sitting together.

It took another half hour to an hour before the conversation between the two girls were over; Kim went over to Tommy and Jason, while Kat headed to the table with the others.

"Hey," Tanya greeted as Kat drew closer. She noticed that there was a smile on her best friend's face and that the blonde seemed relaxed. "Good conversation?"

"A needed one," Kat told her as she sat down, greeting the others as she did so.

"So, you guys are good?" Adam asked, looking from Kat to where Kim was laughing with Jason and Tommy.

"Yep," Kat nodded, "We're good."

 _(Time Skip—Spring Break)_

School had started back up, and the time had passed relatively normal; the rangers did as they always did and found a way to balance schoolwork with their ranger duties.

For Tommy, going to classes for the last couple of months and not having to worry about rushing off to do ranger duties was a little weird, which he expected, but what had surprised him was that he didn't miss it as much as he thought he would. Unlike the last time when he had lost his powers, back when he had been the green ranger, this time around he didn't feel as lost or left out from the group.

The upside, the biggest one, was that he and Kim could go on dates without worry about having to cut it short because they had to go fight a monster. Although, if they were being honest, it felt like things were changing. The monster attacks were not as often as they used to be, as if the Machine Empire was preoccupied with something else. Not that the rangers gave too much thought to it; until something big happened, they would enjoy the reprieve for as long as they got it.

Now, school was going on spring break, and the students couldn't wait to enjoy the two weeks off.

"No school for two weeks," Rocky exclaimed as he and the others made their way out of the school and to the parking lot. "I can't freaking wait. It's gonna be so awesome."

"Yes, but then after that it's tons of homework and then exams 'cause we're graduating," Adam pointed out.

Rocky scowled at him. "Stop trying to ruin my break before it starts."

Kim, who was leaning against Tommy's jeep with Trini, while Jason sat in his car, laughed when she heard Rocky's comment. "Who's ruining your break for you?"

"Adam with his stupid logic," Rocky replied as he settled next to her against the jeep, bumping his shoulder into hers.

"So, you guys are done with school for now," Trini spoke up, "What's the plan?"

"We do what we always do," Tanya answered.

"Try and take over the world?" Kim quipped, a teasing smile on her face.

"You know it Pinky," Tanya returned the smile.

It had taken some time for the two of them to reach this friendly place, but Tanya could admit that she was glad that they did because she actually enjoyed being friends with the former pink ranger. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with the talk the two of them had had about two weeks after Kim and Kat had had their own talk

 _Flashback_

 _Sitting on the back porch of the Oliver home, Kim felt more relaxed than she had in a while. A smile came to her face when she heard footsteps behind her, thinking that it was one of the Olivers or even Trini or Jason._

 _She was completely surprised when she turned and saw that it was neither of them, but Tanya._

" _Hey," the yellow ranger greeted, a hesitancy in her tone._

" _Hey?" Kim replied in confusion as she stood up._

" _I was wondering if we could talk?" Tanya asked._

" _Yeah, sure," Kim shrugged as she sat back down, gesturing for the other teen to do so as well. "What about?"_

" _The tension between us," Tanya said as she sat down._

" _To be fair," Kim said, "I don't have a problem with you."_

 _The implication that it was the other way around was clear in the air, and Tanya heard it, knowing that she was right; she was the one that initiated and kept the distance between them, and she knew that Kimberly was only going by what she was doing._

" _I know," Tanya nodded. She paused, and then continued, "Kimberly, you have to understand where I'm coming from. I don't—I didn't know you, not really. All I knew was that you used to be a ranger, and that you were Tommy's girlfriend. And then Tommy gets a breakup letter and he was hurt, but then he moved on and ended up with Kat. And they were happy together, and things were fine. But then,_ _ **Trini**_ _," there was venom in her voice as she said the former yellow ranger's name._

" _Just so you know," Kim injected, "I didn't know she was going to do what she did."_

 _Tanya looked at her. "Would you have stopped her if you had?"_

" _Of course," Kim readily replied. "I knew that Tommy had moved on, it's why I never reached out and said anything. Despite what you may think, I've never hated Kat…not for being with Tommy. I was hurt, sure," she shrugged, "like I told Tommy, it was always going to hurt to hear that he moved on and especially with her, but even with that, a part of me was pleased that it was her because I knew she'd understand him in a way because she went through something similar. She'd help him."_

 _Tanya scoffed. "That's all nice to say now, you got Tommy back."_

" _Yeah and you've been acting like I set all this up," Kim snapped back, for once, her anger getting to her. "You think I couldn't have reached out to Tommy and tell him the truth? That I couldn't have called him months after, after I got myself sorted? But I didn't! because I was the one that ended us, and he had moved on. And as much as it hurt, I was glad for that._

" _You made me your enemy when I didn't even do anything! I never told Tommy to come to Florida…I didn't even expect it! I never expected him to want us back together and what was I supposed to say? Tell him no? Send him away?! I couldn't. Breaking up with him was the biggest mistake I ever did, and as bad as I felt about Kat, I felt just as happy to get a second chance. Because I love him, and I'll always love him. He's my heart."_

 _She turned away, angrily brushing away the tears that had gathered._

 _At the other girls' words, Tanya deflated with a sigh. "You're right. I've been taking the anger I felt towards Trini doing what she did and putting it on you, when you had nothing to do with it. Katherine's my best friend, and you were part of the reason—unintentionally—that she was hurt." She let out a wry chuckle. "Funny thing is, as much as I was mad at Trini for doing what she did, there's a part of me that could understand it; you're her best friend, and you were hurting and she knew that if you'd been thinking clearly, you never would've sent that letter." A pause. "Which means that you and Tommy never would've broken up and he and Kat never would've gotten together in the first place."_

 _It was quiet between them as both girls thought about everything that had been said._

" _So, what now?" Kim asked._

" _Honestly, I came here because I wanted us to at least try and be friends," Tanya revealed, "I want to get to know the girl that Tommy fell in love with, the girl that Trini would break up a relationship for, the girl Jason and Rocky are protective of, that Adam and Billy cherish and who Kat enjoys spending time with. I really am sorry that I put any of it on you, it's just—_

" _Kat's your best friend and you were angry on her behalf," Kim finished. "Trust me, I get it."_

" _So," Tanya said, "Start over?"_

" _I'd like that."_

"Well I actually have plans," Tommy said, his voice pulling Tanya from her memories.

"What plans?" Jason asked.

"A surprise," Tommy answered, smiling when Jason let out a groan.

Soon after, Rocky started cajoling Tommy, with the others joining in, trying to get him to say something, _anything_ , about his plans, but Tommy refused to say anything other than it was a surprise.

~…~

Later that day, they were all at the park, waiting for Adam and Tanya who had stopped in the juice bar.

"Hey guys look at this," Adam said as he and Tanya walked up to the group.

In his hands he held a flyer, one that was advertising an upcoming "Save the Orphanage" tournament that was happening in the next week.

"I didn't know the orphanage was closing," Kat said as she read over the flyer. "That's so sad."

"You guys should compete,"' Kim suggested, looking at the boys.

All four exchange looks before nodding in unison.

"But who do we talk to about this?" Rocky asked, plucking the flyer from Adam's hands.

"Ernie most likely," Trini shrugged.

"So, back to the juice bar?" Jason suggested with a grin.

As one, they all turned and headed back in that direction.

 _(A few days later)_

The tournament was next Wednesday, the last week of spring break, and since Tommy revealed that his plans were for the weekend, the three to compete were Jason, Rocky and Adam.

That Saturday morning, while the others were at the juice bar, Tommy and Kim were in his jeep making the few hours to the ocean. They were going snorkelling; something Kim loved to do but hadn't gotten the chance since before she had left for Florida.

"I still can't believe you're taking me snorkelling," Kim grinned over at Tommy.

"It's something we haven't done in a while," Tommy returned her smile. "I thought it'd be great to do something we love together, and also, to just spend some time by ourselves. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love our friends, it's just—

"Sometimes you just want to be alone," Kim finished, "It's ok Tommy, I get it."

A short time later, they arrived, and after securing the jeep and changing into their gear, they were off.

~…~

Meanwhile, back in Angel Grove, Alpha was learning troubling information.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Zordon," Alpha cried out.

"What is it Alpha?" Zordon asked, looking down at his companion.

Still muttering, Alpha headed to the main console and started typing. "Oh no, Zordon. It's a message from Lerigot."

"What does the message say Alpha?" Zordon questioned.

"Oh no, Zordon," Alpha cried out, "The message says that he is fleeing for his life, that Divatox has destroyed Liaria and now she wants to use Lerigot to resurrect Maligore. Lerigot escaped, but he is being followed by Divatox."

If he had a body, Zordon would be down next to Alpha pacing the room. That was not good information. "Alpha, contact the rangers. They need to be informed immediately."

"Contacting the rangers now."

It didn't take long for the five of them, plus Trini, to appear in the Chamber.

"Alpha, Zordon, what's going on?" Jason spoke up, looking between his mentor and their helper.

"We have terrible news Rangers," Alpha cried before he told them about Divatox.

"So, another villain to deal with?" Rocky sighed, "Well, I mean, she can't be any worse than Rita or the Machine Empire. We can handle ourselves against her."

"I would not be so quick to dismiss the threat that Divatox poses rangers," Zordon cautioned.

"What makes her different?" Trini asked.

"She is a barbaric space pirate hell bent on destruction and conquering the universe," Zordon answered, "but more than that, she is also determined to release her demonic fiancé, Maligore, from his eternal prison."

"Who is Maligore and how bad of a problem would it be if he's released?" Adam asked.

Zordon went to explain the destruction that Maligore had caused the last time he roamed the universe and what led to him being bound in his now prison. By the time he was done, the rangers' eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Ok, whoa, that's not good," Tanya spoke. A frown settled on her face. "We're screwed if she decides to work with the Machine Empire."

The others let out sounds of agreement.

"That may not be a problem," Alpha spoke up. He then went on to explain about the feud between Divatox and the Machine Empire, but how the latter had no interest in fighting against Maligore nor both of them together.

"So, our new baddie is one our current villain doesn't even want to fight?" Kat questioned, "Anyone else feeling weird about that?"

While the others nodded, Rocky went further by raising his hand.

"Fear not rangers," Zordon assured, "I have every confidence in you that you will meet this new foe and face them as you have faced every battle in your lives."

At his words, the Rangers and Trini all subconsciously straightened up to stand just a bit taller, his confidence in them suffusing their every being.

"So, who is Lerigot and why is she after him?" Jason asked, remembering what Alpha had said earlier.

"Lerigot is a being from the planet Liaria," Zordon explained. "He is a wizard of immense power. Divatox has destroyed his planet, forcing him to flee. If Divatox manages to capture Lerigot, she will force him to use his powers to resurrect Maligore. And if she succeeds, they will combine forces and unleash a wave of evil far more devastating than that of the Machine Empire."

"So, where is Lerigot now?" Tanya asked.

"Lerigot crash landed in an African wilderness," Alpha said, drawing their attention to the screen with the coordinates. "You have to find him Rangers before Divatox does."

"Ok," Jason spoke up, "Kat and I will go after Lerigot. We'll find him and bring him back here to protect him from Divatox."

It didn't take long for the Jason and Kat to prepare and then leave for the trip to rescue the stranded Liarian. When they were gone, the others turned back to each other.

"This Maligore dude sounds like really bad news," Adam said.

"I know, right?" Rocky agreed, "so bad that even Gasket is apparently running away from the thought of him being released."

"Should we let Tommy and Kim know?" Tanya asked.

Trini was already shaking her head. "Not now, not like we'd reach them anyways. Tommy took Kim scuba diving and I bet they left their communicators in his car. We can tell them when they come back."

Rocky turned to Adam. "Why don't we head back to the juice bar to get some more practice in for the tournament until Jason and Kat come back?"

"I'll come with," Tanya said. She looked over at Trini. "You coming?"

"No, I think I'll stay here and wait for them and let you guys know when they come back," Trini told her.

"Alright," Tanya nodded, same as Adam and Rocky, before all three teleported out.

Letting out a sigh, Trini leaned against the console. "What are you doing Alpha?"

"I'm configuring the TURBO powers to be activated and ready to use," Alpha answered as he worked.

"TURBO powers?" Trini asked, straightening out of her position to walk over to the robot. "What are those?"

"A new set of powers for the Rangers," Zordon answered. "While the ZEO powers are stronger, I fear that they are not enough to combat the threat that Divatox represents."

"And these will be?" Trini questioned.

"That is my hope," Zordon told her.

"Hmm," Trini hummed, "Anything I can do to help?"

Once Alpha explained, Trini delved right into helping. They worked together for a few hours and were almost finished when Jason and Kat returned, with Lerigot in tow.

"You're back!" Trini exclaimed once she noticed them. Her eyes drifted over to who was standing next to them. "And you have…Lerigot?" Her eyes widened as she looked over the two rangers. "What happened to you two?"

"Fell off a cliff, got bit by a snake," Kat answered, "You know? The usual." There was a slight smile on her face and Trini returned it with a chuckle.

"It's just you?" Jason asked, looking around.

"Yeah," Trini nodded, "Adam and Rocky went back to the juice bar to train some more and Tanya went with them."

Just then, an incoming message interrupted them and when they looked up at the viewing screen, they were stunned to see who it was.

"Divatox," Zordon greeted, his voice sounding colder than normal.

" _Ahh Zordon," the space pirate greeted, a dark smile twisting her face. "Your tube is looking well." She shifted her attention to the teens and sneer replaced the smile. "And you must be the rangers."_

"What do you want?" Jason asked.

" _What do you think I want?!" Divatox scoffed. "The Liarian. Hand him over and maybe I won't destroy your pathetic planet."_

"Not gonna happen," Jason countered.

 _Divatox threw her head back and laughed. "You think you can stop me?" she smirked. "You_ _ **will**_ _give me the Liarian."_

"Why would we?"? Trini asked, "So you can release Maligore and rule the universe? No."

 _Her smirk shifted to a dark grin. "You will hand over the Liarian, or," she made a gesture and one of her henchmen came into view with two beings, one female and one a child. "Or, I will kill his wife and child."_

The rangers gasped and Lerigot let out a pained whimper, eyes focused on the female and child.

They didn't say anything. They couldn't.

On screen, Divatox chuckled.

" _That's what I thought," She said. "Oh, and to make sure you do as I say..."_

The view shifted. For a moment, the screen was dark, but then, the view became clearer:

Recognition hit the rangers.

It was Tommy and Kimberly.

"Oh no," Trini whispered, exchanging looks with Kat.

Jason's hands clenched into fists at his side.

On screen, the scene shifted back to Divatox, who held a smug look.

" _I see you recognize them," Divatox taunted. "Bring the Liarian to me, or the humans die as well."_

The screen went dark.

"What are we going to do?" Kat asked, looking between Trini and Jason, Zordon and Alpha.

"First we need the others," Jason answered before shifting his attention to the robot. "Alpha, contact the other rangers. tell them to come to the Chamber immediately. It's urgent."

"Right away Jason," Alpha replied, "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi…this is not good."

It didn't take long for the other three to arrive.

"What's going on?" Tanya asked.

Jason and the others quickly fill them in, leaving three in shock.

"So," Rocky spoke up," What are we going to do? I mean, we can't just hand over Lerigot because she'll use him to release Maligore, but we can't let his wife and kid, or Tommy and Kim get killed either."

"Wait, what is he doing?" Adam's slightly panicked voice drew their attention and they turned to see Lerigot glowing slightly all the while mumbling something they didn't understand.

"Zordon?" Trini questioned, but it was Alpha who answered.

"He's preparing to give himself up," the robot revealed, panic evident in his voice.

"What?!" exploded from the rangers.

"He can't do that!" Tanya protested, "Can he?"

"It's his choice Tanya," Jason said, though everything in him protested at what the Liarian was trying to do; though a part of him understood it even more. Tommy was his best friend; Kimberly was his little sister and he knew that he would do anything to bring them home.

"You can't be serious," Kat shook her head. "We can't let him do this."

The others nodded in agreement.

"We can't stop him either," Jason countered, "If this is what he thinks he has to do, then who are we to take that choice from him?"

"Jason's right," Rocky spoke up. "Whether we agree with it or not, it's still his choice."

It was clear the others didn't necessarily agree with either of them, but they also knew that there was nothing else they could do, short of tying up the Liarian, and _that_ they wouldn't do.

~…~

Knowing what Lerigot planned to do, and that they couldn't change his mind, they had decided to use his willingness to sacrifice himself for his family as a tactic to get close to Divatox, hoping to not only save their friends, but to save Lerigot's wife and child and also prevent the Liarian from being used as a sacrifice.

And that's where the TURBO powers came in.

The rangers were understandably confused about the new set of powers, but accepted them all the same, knowing they'd need the help to fight Divatox while also saving their friends. They spent an hour or so not just making plans but using their new powers so that they could get a feel for them, be comfortable in using them.

Before long, it was time for them to leave.

"Stay safe guys," Trini said, "and bring them home."

With a final parting, the Rangers and Lerigot left the Power Chamber, heading to their TURBO vehicles and leaving a very worried Trini, and Alpha, behind.

~…~

Things were not going too good for the rangers; not in the sense that things were horrible or even bad, but that the tension had rocketed to a certain high and only seemed to be strung tighter as time passed.

The first moment came when they had been just miles from Murianthesis, the island very visible in the distance.

They had come upon some of Divatox's henchmen and to their horror, they had watched as two bodies were dumped into the ocean.

The rangers had panicked, and it was only after Rocky and Tanya had dived in after them and reported back that they were fake that the panic had eased, a mixture of relief and apprehension settling in place instead, holding until they got to the island.

After arriving, they went over their plan once more, before making their way inland, keeping Lerigot between them.

"Do you guys hear that?" Kat asked, sometime later.

"It sounds like," Rocky started to answer, "chanting?"

"I think it's coming from over there," Jason pointed towards a small hill/cliff side.

They slowly made their way over, being careful to keep from being seen. Looking over, they saw a line of people, more than likely the native islanders, all heading in the same direction; the mountains.

"Lerigot's gone!" Adam exclaimed.

"What?!" the others turned around and saw that he was right. Somehow, the small alien had disappeared.

"Where the hell did he go?" Rocky asked, looking around.

"Where do you think?" Jason countered. "He's doing what he has to, to save his family."

"So, what do we do now?" Kat asked.

"My guess is, he's gone to where his family is," Jason replied, "It's probably where Tommy and Kim are." He turned to look back over at the mountain. "We're going to head for that mountain. Hopefully we can find another entrance and get to Kim and Tommy and save Lerigot and his family."

"Right!"

With that, the rangers took off.

~…~

What felt like hours later, they found an entrance to the mountain and cautiously made their way inside. They could hear chanting and drums, which got louder and louder they further in they went. It wasn't long after that they finally breached the opening.

"Oh my god," Rocky whispered.

They could see who could only be Divatox standing in front of a cage that held a female version of Lerigot who was holding a baby in her arms. Lerigot himself was on the ground a few feet away, some of the space pirate's henchman standing guard.

And directly in the middle, hung over a giant opening, were Tommy and Kimberly.

"Kim," Jason said, horror in his voice. "Tommy."

"Mistress, intruders!"

Everyone, including Kim and Tommy, turned to look at where the henchman was pointing.

"It's about time," Kim quipped. Behind her, Tommy groaned.

"You?!" Divatox screeched when she saw the rangers. "How did you get here?"

It wasn't the time. It really wasn't. But Rocky couldn't help it. "We ran."

Tommy actually stopped struggling to stare at the blue ranger. "Really?"

Divatox sneered at him. "No matter. You're just in time to see my plans come to fruition."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Adam replied before he summed his TURBO blaster and fired at a few of the henchmen.

"Piranhatrons, attack!" Divatox screamed.

A fight erupted, and her voice could be heard screaming over the melee for her men to destroy the rangers.

Kim and Tommy both struggled in their binds above the lava pit.

"Guys! A little help here!" Kim shouted.

"I got it!" Rocky shouted as he moved to fight his way to the two. "Whoa!" he jumped back as two of Piranhatrons appeared in front of him.

The others tried to make their way over as well but found themselves caught back in fighting over the Piranhatrons.

Seeing it, Divatox turned to the henchman next to the lever. "Drop them!" she commanded.

"No!" came from the rangers, and Kim and Tommy as they fell into the lava below.

Divatox cackled. "You're too late! Maligore's flame will corrupt them and they will become his children, eager to do his bidding and destroy you!"

Just as she said that, an explosion rocked the room, knocking everyone to the ground.

With a groan, Jason rolled over before quickly getting back to his feet. A quick look showed the others getting up as well. "You guys ok?"

"We're good," Tanya answered for all of them. "What the hell was that?"

"Kim and Tommy!" Jason said even as he whirled around. He looked up and saw his two friends standing on the edge of the opening and started towards them.

The other rangers followed him, only for all of them to come a sudden stop when Tommy and Kim turned around.

Their eyes were glowing red.

* * *

 **A/N 2:** thoughts? Yep, Kim and _Tommy_ are now Maligore's children. I honestly love writing different scenes for this movie: no back injury or Justin (yet) so Rocky is kept as the blue ranger, and this time it's Tommy with Kim over the pit


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